Salford to extend long-term home-building plans

Members of the public are being invited to have their say about plans to build nearly 35,000 new homes in Salford over the next 17 years - while also protecting the city's greenery.

Extending the council's home-building plans by four years, a new document has sets out where new homes, jobs and infrastructure could be built until 2043.

Deputy mayor and planning boss Mike McCusker said: "We will have a brand new development plan, which will give us a good pipeline of new homes as well as protection from developers, who could successfully appeal against planning applications which the council has rejected.

"At the same time its important to protect our valuable green spaces for local people."

Salford Council's existing local plan, which is part of the Greater Manchester-wide Places For Everyone strategy, outlines sites to be developed until 2039.

The city has been one of the fastest growing in the UK over recent years, with its population rising to 294,000 in 2024 - an increase of 34% since 2001.

Most of that growth has been in the city centre - and at Salford Quays - but there have also been new homes built on former green belt land in areas like Boothstown.

Councillors will vote on the draft local plan before the end of this year and it will then be submitted to the government for final approval.

According to the draft plan, there will be a particular focus on development in the city centre, the Quays, Port Salford, and the site of the Salford Community Stadium.

The stadium was fully acquired by the council in December 2024, when it bought Peel Land's 50% stake in the rugby ground for £7.7m.

The stadium was built in 2012 and the draft plan outlines ambitions for warehouses to be built on the empty surrounding land, supported by a possible Metrolink tram extension to Port Salford.

However, Local Reform leader Ivan Voronov said: "The stadium is losing money every single year and we've been throwing good money after bad, so we should be cutting or losses on this.

"Elsewhere, there's very little to support local GPs in places like Salford Quays, so how can you build another gigantic new skyscraper and not build any new medical facilities to support that?"

The draft plan also includes a scheme for 130 homes on the former St Ambrose Barlow High School site in Swinton, which has been vacant since 2013.

Brownfield land, which would be suitable for about 300 houses and 170 apartments, has also been identified off Orchard Street in Pendleton.

There are also plans to provide an additional 35 pitches for the travelling community by extending their existing site on Duchy Road in Pendleton.

The draft proposals would also give extra protection to 12 local greens, including land at Kersal Moor, Peel Park next to the University of Salford, Brickfield Wood in Boothstown and the Three Sisters nature reserve in Ellesmere Park.