The consultation on the Trafford Wharfside Strategic Masterplan closes today as Manchester United’s proposed new stadium and the wider regeneration of the area move towards their next stages. Trafford Council opened the consultation for eight weeks to gather views on the masterplan for Wharfside, which includes the area surrounding Old Trafford.
With the consultation closing on 22 September, the responses will now be analysed and used to revise the proposals before a final masterplan is presented to the council executive in autumn 2026. For United supporters, however, this is not their final opportunity to influence the stadium project.
The consultation conducted by Trafford Council has focused on the wider regeneration framework rather than asking supporters to decide the detailed design of Manchester United’s proposed new ground. Trafford Council says questions about the stadium’s design, appearance and facilities will instead be dealt with separately by Manchester United, meaning a more detailed supporter consultation specifically concerning the stadium is still to come.
United has also committed to involving supporters throughout the development process. The club’s Old Trafford regeneration hub says engagement will continue as the project develops, potentially giving fans an opportunity to influence what a proposed 100,000-seat stadium actually looks and feels like.
That distinction matters because much of the public discussion surrounding the project has focused on the dramatic concept unveiled by Foster + Partners. The images showed a vast stadium beneath an enormous three-mast canopy, creating what has become widely known as the “tent” design, but those images should not be treated as the finished stadium.
The wider Wharfside masterplan goes far beyond the football stadium. Trafford Council sees the area as a major regeneration opportunity involving new homes, commercial development, public spaces, transport improvements and infrastructure alongside United’s plans.
The closure of the consultation therefore represents another procedural milestone rather than final approval for a new Old Trafford. Council officials must now consider the feedback received during the eight-week process and determine what changes should be made to the masterplan, with the revised document expected to go before Trafford Council’s executive later this year.
For United supporters, the next phase could be considerably more interesting. The broad planning framework is moving forward, but many of the questions fans care most about remain unresolved, including the stadium’s appearance, facilities and matchday experience.
Those decisions will form part of United’s own consultation process. The spectacular stadium concept unveiled so far has provided a vision of what the future might look like, but the next stage should give supporters further opportunities to influence what ultimately gets built.
