New home for Manchester Giants as part of £35m development

Manchester Giants Basketball Club will have a new home from the start of the 2019/20 season as part of a GBP£35m development at Urmston, in the borough of Trafford, Greater Manchester.

Preliminary work will shortly begin on site to deliver Trafford Council’s state-of-the-art project, which will transform the site into a sport, health and wellbeing hub.

The plans will create a new GP hub, a Step up-Step down care facility with the stakeholders working with local partners to bring forward more detailed health related proposals in the coming weeks.

The redeveloped site will also include new affordable residential accommodation specifically for people who work in key public services, such as nurses, teachers and police officers.

The existing sports centre will be expanded and renovated by Manchester Giants providing a state-of-the-art multi-purpose sports and event facility with a capacity of 2,000+.

The development of the existing George H Carnall Sports Centre will become the home of the professional basketball team playing in the UK’s only professional league, the British Basketball League (BBL).

The club will also further develop on site its existing community basketball and netball teams, providing opportunities for all ages and abilities, as well as hosting the club’s office, a club shop, community outreach team and a community café.

The centre is based just one junction down the M60 from where the Giants currently play their BBL home games, at the Trafford Powerleague Sportsdome, which will continue to be the club’s home until the end of the 2018/19 season.

John Dwan, Manchester Giants Chief Executive, said:

It has been a priority for us to find a long term venue that can house and develop our club, not just the elite BBL Basketball team, but also our junior basketball and netball teams, as well as our fast growing community programmes. After fruitless discussions with other venues in recent years securing our own sustainable and affordable facility is a major step forward for the club.

The Giants are part of an impressive group of sporting excellence who already play or train in the borough: Manchester United, Lancashire County Cricket Club and Sale Sharks.

This exciting proposal responds to the aspirations of residents to retain the space for community use and will further enhance Davyhulme as a key location within the borough for sport, health and wellbeing.

Leader of Trafford Council, Sean Anstee, said:

I am really pleased that residents in Urmston, Davyhulme and Flixton are the first to benefit from the Council’s significant investment in sport and leisure with the appointment of Wilmott Dixon to commence construction at the nearby Urmston Leisure Centre.

 

In addition, at George H Carnall we have worked really hard with key partners to come up with an innovative and exciting opportunity that will complement the refurbished Urmston Leisure Centre.

 

We’re absolutely delighted therefore to be able to announce that the Manchester Giants will be making this site their home, and bringing with them their great track record of engaging with schools and the wider community alongside affordable residential homes and health hub.

 

Taken together, these two opportunities represent an investment in excess of £45m in the local M41 community. This is a great example of public sector funding attracting significant private sector investment.

 

We believe both developments will provide a great mix of facilities to help improve health and wellbeing among our residents.

Manchester Giants have assigned the development works to the Equity Solutions Group (“ESG”). ESG is a locally based specialist Investor /Developer. It has extensive experience of mixed use developments, and a particular expertise in Health and Community developments. As part of the arrangement, ESG will provide the Giants with a new state-of-the-art base with show courts and training facilities, in addition to the community health facilities.

Further details and information specific to the Giants home venue will be released in due course.

Image, courtesy: Manchester Giants

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