Funding has been secured from Historic England for a comprehensive review all sixteen of Salford’s Conservation Areas.
The secured funding of £50,000 for Salford City Council will be awarded through the Historic England’s ‘Funding for Capacity Building’ programme, which will mark a significant step forward in protecting the city’s historic character while supporting its continued growth.
Salford City Council will receive the funding following a successful bid from the council’s newly established Salford Heritage Commission.
The review of the designated Conservation Area’s will result in the creation of a full suite of up-to-date Conservation Area Appraisals and Management Plans (CAAMPs).
Buttress’s Manchester-based Heritage Consultancy team has been appointed to conduct the work, which will be the first comprehensive review of Salford’s Conservation Areas in many years.
As Jenna Johnston, Associate Heritage Consultant at Buttress, added: “This is a landmark project for our Heritage Consultancy team and the practice.
“There’s such an important task ahead to balance conserving Salford’s rich and layered heritage and protecting what makes these places so special, while still supporting the vital development and regeneration of the area.
Jenna continued: “We’re looking forward to collaborating with both the Council and local communities.”
Salford’s Conservation Areas cover a range of neighbourhoods and landscapes across the city, each with their own unique special architectural and historic interest.
Four of these areas are currently on Historic England’s ‘Heritage at Risk Register.’
The review will assess each Conservation Area to understand what makes it significant and unique, what the current and future opportunities and risk might be and whether boundaries should be adjusted or new designations considered.
The funding will allow Salford, for the first time, to have a full up-to-date Conservation Area Appraisals and Management Plans.
The documents will allow Salford City Council to identify, celebrate and help protect what makes the city special to its communities.
Once adopted, these will serve as robust material planning considerations for all future planning decisions, within and surrounding the Conservation Areas, whilst aligning with the city’s Local Plan.
It will also be used to identify the key actions needed to help protect the special interests of each area and remove the city’s at-risk areas from the national register.
A community consultation programme will launch in Summer 2026, giving residents and stakeholders the chance to shape the draft plans and share their local knowledge and experiences, prior to adoption.
Councillor Hannah Robinson-Smith, Lead Member for Culture, Heritage, Equalities, Sports, and Leisure said: “This project is an important part of our commitment to celebrating and safeguarding Salford’s heritage.
“By creating and updating these plans, we can make sure our historic neighbourhoods are protected for future generations while supporting sensitive and sustainable development across the city.”
Ahead of the review Historic England’s Naomi Kinghorn continued: “From St Augustine’s Conservation Area in Pendlebury that features a striking Grade I listed Gothic Revival church, to the fine Victorian architecture and cobbled streets of The Cliff Conservation Area in Higher Broughton, Salfordians are rightly proud of their city’s heritage.
“This is a wonderful opportunity to bring the plans for conserving Salford’s special historic places right up to date so we can help guide new plans for much-needed housing, jobs and other development requirements.”
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