A plan to build one of the country’s tallest skyscrapers in Salford has been approved by council committee members despite backlash from a local campaign group.
Developer Henley Investment Management (HIM) applied to build 3,3000 homes on the current Regent Park Retail site.
Seven councillors on Salford’s Planning and Transportation Regulatory Panel voted in favour of the motion, while three voted against.
In July, the planning committee deferred the application to give Henley more time to prove traffic would not be impacted significantly.
This morning, HIM argued the development would have “no perceptible” impact on traffic levels in Ordsall, despite nearly 5,000 people forecast to move into the area.
In addition, they said plans for a new bus route to accommodate the surge in the number of people in the area had been drawn up.
A spokesperson for the developer said the creation of the housing project would increase traffic on Regent Road by just 2.2%, while providing affordable housing for one-fifth of the 5,000 people listed on Salford’s housing register.
But Ordsall Councillor Brendan Keville told the planning committee that the project will be unprecedented in Salford and would not serve the needs of his constituents.
Coun Keville said that at a public meeting held in advance of the committee, “70% of people” in attendance opposed Henley’s proposal.
He described the scheme as a “vanity project” that would be detrimental to “families, pensioners and key workers” who rely on several discount stores that would be destroyed.
Salford MP Rebecca Long-Bailey welcomed the creation of affordable housing in the city, but echoed the concerns about parking.
While developers have secured a ten-year lease from the council, only 100 car spaces will be provided and a permit scheme will last for five years.
“The £45,000 allocated to the permit scheme will not touch the surface. It could be transformational for Salford, but could devastate the very fabric of the community,” she said.
MS Long-Bailey urged for more proof that Henley’s plans for affordable housing – accommodation priced 20% below market value – will indeed be delivered.
Henley outlined that NHS Greater Manchester will be offered first refusal on floorspace within the development to provide a medical centre and dental services for the new people moving to Ordsall.
In addition, Jay Squire, Managing Director of Henley, said: “We took the feedback seriously and have made significant progress in addressing them. Specifically, we have worked closely with the Mayor, the Council’s estate team and planning officers to strengthen a document of key commitments.
“That work has resulted in a clearer and more secure delivery framework for the City.”
Mr Squire highlighted that Salford Council own the freehold of Regent Retail Park and will mandate the amount of affordable housing provided, the tenants who receive accommodation and the will control the phasing plan.
He said that “in the midst of a housing crisis, national policy could not be clearer. Homes on Brownfield land should be approved.”
The committee agreed, voting resoundingly in favour of Henley’s proposals.
James Prady, Councillor for Worsley and Westwood Park, said he would not be able to tell Salfordians waiting for the chance to buy their own homes that they had voted against commitments to build affordable housing.
After the decision had been made, Coun Keville conceded that it was not the outcome he had hoped for, but promised to continue to campaign for the plans to be amended.
He has been involved in the ‘Save Regent Retail Park Campaign, which has secured 1,971 online signatures opposing the development.
“Our resident-led campaign has had a significant impact on what was proposed and agreed on today.
“We have had to deal with Henley’s PR machine, but our residents’ voices will not go away.”
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