CGIs of the proposed hotel extension and grandstand at Emirates Old Trafford (imagery: © BDP)

A BDP-designed scheme to add 100 rooms to a Hilton Garden Inn hotel and build a new grandstand at one of the world’s top cricket grounds has been awarded planning consent.

Hilton Garden Inn Manchester Emirates Old Trafford is set to expand as part of an ambitious mixed-use development.

A red-letter day for Lancashire Cricket

Lancashire Cricket’s full planning application to replace the existing Red Rose Suite with a new 100-room hotel extension building and 1,025-capacity grandstand at Emirates Old Trafford in Manchester has been given the go-ahead by Trafford Council’s planning committee. The proposal involves significantly redeveloping the eastern part of the historic ground, which has hosted cricket matches since 1857.

Under the plans, a six-storey building would be created, featuring a club museum, ticket office and store on the ground floor, along with a members’ lounge, members’ terrace and sponsors’ terrace on the first floor. There would then be 100 additional rooms for Hilton Garden Inn’s property spread across the four upper floors, linked to the existing hotel via a new connection at first-floor level.

Hilton Garden Inn Manchester Emirates Old Trafford currently has 150 keys. The new rooms will offer views out over the pitch to the west or Manchester city centre to the east – the former will include balconies to maximise their appeal.

The latest proposal replaces an application approved in 2019.

Completing the redevelopment of Emirates Old Trafford

Daniel Gidney, chief executive at Lancashire Cricket, hailed the decision as “fantastic news”.

“The new stand and hotel extension complete the redevelopment of Emirates Old Trafford and will further enhance our reputation as a world-class venue for business, sport and leisure. The decade-long £60 million redevelopment of the ground was undertaken so that the club could continue to host major competitions, matches and events, as it has done throughout its storied history.

“This redevelopment will play a key role in the club’s long-term financial strategy. The revised plans provide greater revenue-generation opportunities in the short and long term and, crucially, enable us to upgrade Emirates Old Trafford’s facilities, increase our overall capacity and improve the event-day experience for all venue visitors.”

Trafford Council anticipates huge benefits

Andrew Western, leader of Trafford Council, added: “This is a fantastic development, which will make Emirates Old Trafford a truly spectacular sporting arena and one of the biggest in the country. The scheme will also provide huge benefits to the local area in terms of employment and improved local amenities, and will keep Trafford firmly on the sporting world map.”

The project team includes BDP (architecture), Marston & Grundy (civil and structural engineering), Planit-IE (landscape architecture), Chroma Consulting (project management), TowerEight (cost consultancy) and Paul Butler Associates (planning consultancy). Lancashire Cricket are aiming to start work in early 2022 and complete in time for the 2023 cricket season.

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