Trafford Park is an area in the borough of Trafford, and at 4.7 square miles remains the largest industrial estate in Europe.
Trafford Park sits on the opposite side of the Manchester Ship Canal to nearly Salford Quays, and is entirely surrounded by water due to its location to this and the Bridgewater Canal. In the early days the park was largely used for leisure activities such as golf, polo and boating. British Westinghouse was the first major company to move in, becoming one of the most important engineering sites in the UK.
Average local house prices in South Manchester at the time of writing were £220,089, up 7% on the previous year. The majority of sales around Trafford Park during the last year were flats, selling for an average price of £216,754. Terraced properties sold for an average of £206,857, with semi-detached properties selling for around £223,428.
However in the mid to late 1900’s, as other new plants and industrial plots began to be built, Trafford Park lost business and by the 1980’s had lost almost all of its industry. This was picked back up in the late 1980’s by the Trafford Park Urban Development Corporation, which resorted Trafford Park and its nearby surroundings, and brought in more than 1,000 companies over the following years.
Trafford Park is now home to more than 1,400 companies, and 84 large homes which are all that remain of the housing boom which hit the park in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s.
The local 11-acre Trafford Ecology Park is all that remains of Trafford Park’s original ornamental boating lake and green space. Trafford Park also houses plenty of outdoor facilities and family activities, including escape hunts, animal experiences and sporting leisure parks.
Local Authority: https://www.trafford.gov.uk/Home.aspx