Development experts are looking at whether Trafford Park could benefit from a Business Improvement District (BID) to boost investment and green activity in the area.
Trafford Council has appointed a consortium to carry out a feasibility study to see how businesses, the Council and private sector partners could combine forces to address long-term sustainability challenges.
Groundwork, the green futures charity is leading the study which involves regeneration and economic development experts, including architects MCAU and place maker Fourth Street.
It is exploring whether the BID model, or an alternative, could be used to drive change and improvement at Trafford Park, which numbers over 1,300 businesses employing more than 35,000 people.
Businesses have been consulted as part of the work and study findings will be shared in the new year.
Trafford has one established BID for Altrincham town centre, which has been co-ordinating events and improvements, lobbying on behalf of the town and successfully marketing it as a visitor destination, since 2016. The BID is paid for by a levy to eligible businesses.
The idea of a BID for Trafford Park was first mooted in 2023 as part of the Greening Trafford Park project, which has a vision to ramp up the area’s green environment, develop sustainable transport networks and foster green careers.
Cllr Liz Patel, Trafford Council’s Executive Member for Economy and Regeneration said:
“This exciting and in-depth exercise aims to identify priorities for improving the area’s trading environment. We are looking at whether establishing a Business Improvement District would help us tackle pending challenges together.”