Salford Shopping City at 50: It's people, pride and long battle to survive
A corruption scandal which rocked the Labour party delayed the opening. It was sold off by the council and has had three owners since.
In the face of a slick neighbour two miles down the road, out of town developments and predictions of the death of the High Street it has had tough times.
Over two infamous days in 2011 it was a target for rioters. But it is perhaps the heart of the second city. Salford Shopping City as it was, now Salford Shopping Centre, or simply "The Precinct," as locals call it, survives against the odds.
This year is its 50th anniversary, and to mark the milestone it has an artist in residence. READ MORE: Firefighters race to city centre after bus bursts into flames On a late spring morning blessed by sunshine the sprawling 1972 building, which has had an already dated revamp of white plastic and glass Toblerone-shaped canopy entrances, is ticking over nicely.
