[Abandoned Industrial Complex]⑦ We Play Next to the Factory... Yeongguk Industrial Complex Becomes a Hotspot

The World's Oldest Industrial Complex 'Trafford'
Aging Unstoppable Despite Road Expansion and Subsidies

Revived Vibrancy with Rich Cultural Facilities
'Industrial Complex Tourists' Increase, Regional GDP Jumps 20%

Trafford City Council Chair: "The Industrial Complex Is a Shopping and Cultural Asset"

On the 15th of last month, Total Ninja, an indoor playground located in the Trafford Industrial Estate in Manchester, UK, was visited. On that day, 14-year-old Josh Allen was sliding down a slide at the playground. Photo by Seungseop Song tmdtjq8506@

"I came last week and it was so much fun that I came again."

At an indoor playground in Manchester, UK, Josh Allen (14), who slid down a 2-meter-high inflatable slide, said to an Asia Economy reporter on the 15th of last month with an innocent smile. The interview was brief. When his younger sibling, who came along, chased after him holding a large ball, Allen shouted loudly, "You have to dodge!" Their mother, Tracy Allen, watched the children play from a caf? set up for tourists and smiled warmly. She revealed that they live in Inverness, Scotland, six hours away by car, and said, "We found this place through an internet search, but since the kids really love it, this is already our third visit."

On the 15th of last month, visitors are playing at 'Total Ninja,' an indoor playground located in the Trafford Industrial Estate in Manchester, UK. Visitors are enjoying various facilities. Photo by Seungseop Song tmdtjq8506@

This indoor playground, which has become a landmark in the Manchester area, is located in the Trafford Industrial Estate in the UK. Although it is hard to imagine just by looking at the 3,715㎡ (about 1,124 pyeong) interior of the playground, once you exit the facility, there is a tire shop directly opposite the main gate and logistics trucks of a distribution company lined up on the right. One might wonder who would come to an industrial estate just for a playground, but its popularity is sky-high. With exciting facilities for adults as well, the average number of visitors on weekdays reaches about 500, and on weekends, around 1,000. Not only employees of the Manchester industrial estate and local residents but also tourists from other regions come here.

Especially through word of mouth on social media (SNS), it has emerged as a unique dating spot for young people in the UK. A facility official explained, "Famous pop star Pink came all the way here from the US with her daughter, and after posting a certification shot on Instagram, the influx of people in their 20s increased significantly." On that day, among 55 people who used the facility from 11 a.m. for one hour, 42 were young adults. Avi Jackson (20), who lives in Manchester, said when asked how he found the playground, "I found out through Instagram," adding, "Since there are many good facilities for playing in the industrial estate, I often search for them."

'Go-Kart', an indoor karting track located in Trafford Industrial Estate, Manchester, UK, visited on the 15th of last month. Photo by Seungseop Song tmdtjq8506@

Inside and around the Trafford Industrial Estate, there are many such cultural and sports facilities. Just a 4-minute drive east from the playground is an indoor karting track located between an auto repair shop and a safety equipment manufacturer. You can enjoy racing using about 50 racing karts and dozens of types of tires. At the karting track visited that day, 15 users were waiting to enjoy racing, each wearing their favorite F1 sports team uniform. To the south of the estate, there is the largest indoor rock climbing gym in the UK, a balloon-themed park for children, a large complex shopping mall, an aquarium, and museums.

A rock band performance held in July this year at the industrial complex venue 'O2 Victoria Warehouse.' This venue was created by repurposing two warehouses used by a logistics company in the early 20th century. Photo by O2 Victoria Warehouse

Most of these leisure and cultural facilities were built by repurposing existing industrial estate buildings. The industrial estate’s performance hall, 'O2 Victoria Warehouse,' is a representative example. The performance facility was created by renovating two warehouses used by a logistics company in the early 20th century. It was transformed into a music venue in 2012 and has now become a place visited by world-renowned artists. To attract tourists, famous singers have been invited, and so far, performances have been held by Thom Yorke, the lead vocalist of the rock band Radiohead; British indie singer Sam Fender; and American rapper Lizzo. On the 27th of last month, a concert by American singer-songwriter Lizzy McAlpine, who gained fame on TikTok, was held.

Environmental Park in Trafford Industrial Estate, Manchester, UK, visited on the 15th of last month. Photo by Seungseop Song tmdtjq8506@

On one side of the industrial estate, a lake and park have been created for picnics and walks. Since there are no special boundary markers, local residents and industrial estate workers can freely use the area. David Esdale (61), an administrative staff member at a factory within the estate, who was met at the park, also visits here often. He said, "Nearby employees often come here for lunch, and on weekends, it is popular as a camping spot with children," adding, "Workers here regard the park as a large cultural facility and welfare." When asked if he uses other cultural facilities, he smiled broadly and said, "The indoor karting track nearby is really fun."

The cultural facilities in the Trafford Industrial Estate were established to prevent the decline of the city that began decades ago. Trafford Industrial Estate is the world's first industrial-only site, built in 1896. It continued to grow until the 1970s but rapidly deteriorated due to deindustrialization afterward. Employment also sharply contracted. At the end of World War II, the number of workers in the Trafford Industrial Estate reached 75,000, but by 1976, it had dropped to 15,000. As unsold land parcels increased, local governments hastily provided subsidies and expanded roads but failed to solve the problem.

In 1985, the UK’s Ministry of Environment, Department of Trade and Industry, and Trafford Council jointly established the 'Industrial Estate Regeneration Research Fund.' The 'Trafford Park Strategy,' which involved the large-scale introduction of various cultural facilities, was also formulated. The strategy, implemented in 1987, lasted for 11 years until 1998. In addition to expanding cultural facilities, public installation art and landmarks were introduced. The 'Trafford Centre,' a complex entertainment complex, was also built around this time. During this period, the Trafford Industrial Estate attracted 990 companies and succeeded in regaining 29,000 new jobs. It also attracted private investment amounting to 1.7 billion pounds (about 3.0599 trillion KRW).

The cultural expansion strategy of the Trafford Industrial Estate is ongoing. As the floating population of the estate, including tourists, steadily increases, the regional gross domestic product has risen by about 19% in the past five years. Tom Ross, chairman of the Trafford City Council, said, "The Trafford Industrial Estate is still the center of industry and employment, but at the same time, it plays a significant role in tourism centered on shopping malls and cultural assets," adding, "The spa and resort facilities to be built soon will attract even more tourists." Ross emphasized, "The traditional boundaries of the industrial estate are becoming blurred," and said, "Considering sustainable development, we must not neglect the industrial areas of major cities."

Editor's NoteThere is abandoned land in Korea. It covers an area of 24.49 million square meters, which is 5.44 times the size of Yeouido. Nothing is done on this land. It is simply left unattended. This is the story of 'industrial estates.' Industrial estates have been the main drivers of Korea's rapid economic growth since the development of the Ulsan Industrial Estate in the 1960s. However, due to their rapid and unplanned proliferation, they now suffer from chronic unsold land issues. While focusing only on building new industrial estates, existing ones face serious aging problems. Asia Economy examines the current status of domestic industrial estates through the 'Abandoned Industrial Estates' series and explores directions for the development of Korean industrial estates through overseas cases.

This project was supported by the Press Promotion Fund, funded by government advertising fees.