The biggest housing development project in 50 years has the green light from the Salford City Mayor.

The project will see the development of 417 new affordable, quality and eco-friendly homes across various sites.

Some of the homes will be tenant-run through community-led initiatives, while the rest will be run through Dérive, a council owned company.

Salford City Council confirmed: “Of the homes, 188 will be available for social rent, 127 for affordable rent, 52 to the private rented sector and 50 will be sold.”

“And the ambition doesn’t stop there, in total, thousands of extra new units could be provided by Salford City Council in the next ten years with the vast majority managed by Dérive – if access to funding is successful.”

Chelsea Phillips, Manchester branch chair for tenants union Acorn, said: “The only way out of the housing crisis is for more affordable homes to be built. This is a really positive announcement from Salford Council and Acorn welcomes this development.”

“It is good to see more affordable housing being built but it needs to be happening across Greater Manchester and England too.”

Here is the full statement from Chelsea Phillips:

The works are expected to start as early as February 2021 on 104 of the social rent properties at Clifton Green (Pendlebury), Brassington Avenue and Ryall Avenue (Ordsall) sites.


Brassington Avenue site. Image: PRP Architects

Langworthy will see 25 homes as well on Kara Street, which are in the process of being bought by council-owned Dérive. These properties will be made available at affordable social rent levels.

Little Hulton will also see 177 homes on Longshaw Drive.

In addition, a further 111 homes will be built on former school sites in Weaste and Irwell Valley.

Of the 111 St Lukes Primary School and Irwell Valley School sites, 69 properties will be owned by community-led organisations Broughton Trust and Inspiring Communities Housing.

Accessible and wheelchair-friendly homes have been included in the plans across all sites.

All the homes are expected to be built based on a low carbon energy approach.

Ethan Green, a private rented sector tenant from Ordsall, described the news as “a lifeline for hundreds in Salford in need of a good home.”

He said: “It’s high time that we embarked on this mass building of decent quality, eco friendly and truly affordable housing on the principle of health and wellbeing.”

Ryall Avenue site. Image: PRP Architects

Paul Dennett, Salford City Mayor said: “Housing waiting lists are far too long and the market is providing nowhere near enough truly affordable solutions to tackle the homelessness and housing crises in our city.

“These developments and others to follow, will help tackle the crisis for the benefit of local people and all our communities, providing quality affordable homes and apartments in different locations that are a mix of sizes that local people need.

“This is the beginning, my intention is to deliver many more truly affordable homes for people and families in our city over the coming years. We will continue to think innovatively and use all our powers to do all we can for local people in relation to the provision of affordable housing.”

This news comes as there are currently more than 6,000 people on waiting list for housing across Salford.

Ethan went on to say: “It is refreshing to see the council working in line with values of ordinary people. Genuinely reacting and listening to the voices of tenants and the demands that organisations like Acorn and community organisations around Salford have been fighting for”

Here is the full statement from Ethan Green:

Chelsea went on to say there are needs for more regulation across the private rental sector “otherwise ordinary people will be faced with exploitative landlords, expensive rents and insufficient housing.”

Chelsea went on to say, “If you have faced any of these issues, join Acorn the Tenants Union and help fight against the injustices of being a private tenant alongside other working people.”

To learn more about other current Acorn campaigns, visit their website:
https://www.acorntheunion.org.uk

We will have more on this story as it is developed.

Image credits: PRP Architects

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