Fewer car parks at Manchester United's new stadium

Supporters of Manchester United will be "nudged" into using public transport to travel to matches at the club's planned new 100,000 capacity stadium.

The club announced they want to build their new ground on the site of what is now an indoor go-karting track in Trafford Park, after they acquired the land earlier this year.

A strategic masterplan document, which has been launched for the Trafford Wharfside area, states: "Existing surface car parks must be consolidated and removed to make best use of available land".

The leader of Trafford Council Tom Ross said "car reliance was something we need to work though" adding they needed to "nudge people towards public transport alternatives".

The Trafford Wharfside Strategic Masterplan covers an area of 150 hectares, with much of the land currently dominated by surface car parks, which are used by Manchester United supporters on matchdays.

There are currently 11 official matchday car parks surrounding Old Trafford, with hundreds of spaces available to supporters, including those with blue badges.

The masterplan document makes no mention of matchday parking for Manchester United supporters with mobility issues - but it does say "disabled parking for all neighbourhoods must be provided close to building entrances".

The club has since confirmed there will be accessible parking for its supporters - although how much and the specific locations will be decided in due course.

There are also minimum regulatory standards the club will be requited to meet.

Ross said: "Car reliance is something we need to work though and we have some fantastic infrastructure in place already, so we need to nudge people towards those public transport alternatives."

"We'll be looking at the best practice from elsewhere - not just in the UK - so it's a matter of encouraging as many people as possible to use trams, trains and buses to get to the match - but we'll be exploring all avenues."

Collette Roche, chief executive for the New Stadium Development at Manchester United, said: "We think the new stadium is in the best place it possibly can be, where its well connected.

"Some people are going to find it hard to get behind this new stadium but we want to take them on that journey and we shouldn't forget that our supporter surveys have told us there are a lot of people in our fanbase who really, really welcome this."

The club is now working on the exact designs for the new stadium and more details are expected to be published at the end of 2026 or in early 2027 - before a planning application is submitted to Trafford Council.

The masterplan document includes plans for a new railway station, which would replace the existing platforms behind the Sir Bobby Charlton stand at Old Trafford.

The Manchester United Football Ground station has not been used for almost ten years, due to safety and security concerns over its proximity to the stadium.

The plans for the new stadium include a tree-lined processional route, inspired by Wembley Way, which would be able to accommodate tens of thousands of visitors on matchdays.

According to the masterplan document: "This area is likely to be Wharfside's principal cluster for bars, restaurants, entertainment and commercial leisure uses."

Land has also been set aside to "celebrate and remember" on the site of the existing Old Trafford stadium, although there are no details on what this would look like.

The vision for Trafford Wharfside includes 15,000 homes, including a series of tall apartment blocks overlooking the Manchester Ship Canal, close to the Imperial War Museum North and Salford Quays.

Within the masterplan area there is also a rail freight depot, which handles around 20 daily container services to and from the UK's deep sea ports.

At one point, that land was being looked at as a potential site for the new stadium.

The Old Trafford Regeneration Mayoral Development Corporation has been set up to help acquire the land which would be needed to develop new homes in the area.

Manchester United will look at the potential of a naming rights deal for the new stadium and the club has refused to be drawn on the overall cost of the scheme.

A design for the new stadium was published last year, in collaboration with architects Foster and Partners, but the club has said the plans are not set in stone and they will be consulting with supporters over the details of what the stadium will look like.

Duncan Drasdo, chief executive of MUST (the Manchester United Supporters' Trust), said: "It seems clear that the club are determined to press ahead with this, so we want to make sure we end up with an atmospheric stadium, not a soulless bowl, as we've seen with other clubs when they've moved to a new ground."

Liam Finnigan, chief executive of Gorse Hill Studios, said: "The masterplan looks really exciting and the opportunities for young people could be significant, in terms of education, work and housing."

He added: "There will be international interest in some of the demolition and construction contracts here - but if local businesses benefit, then local opinion of the development would be boosted."

Trafford Council will decide whether to approve the masterplan later this month and a formal eight-week consultation is expected to start on 28 July.