Greater Manchester's tallest skyscraper will be built in Salford after a £1bn development to build 3,300 homes in the city was approved despite vocal opposition.
The controversial scheme by Henley Investment Management (HIM) was opposed by hundreds of residents who submitted objections, as well as Salford MP Rebecca Long-Bailey and councillors Brendan Keville and Ben Grogan.
It is based on the northern section of Regent Retail Park off Regent Road in Ordsall, where the wider community is made up of dense terraced housing, is home to the historic Salford Lads' Club, and has major roads with access to Salford Quays and Manchester city centre.
Bosses behind the plans said it will be the 'biggest housing-led development in Salford for 50 years', with a commitment to build 660 affordable homes at the site as well as a local centre, a public park, and space for healthcare facilities.
They said it would pump £3.7m a year into the city through council tax and bring many other benefits.
Salford has 5,000 people on its housing register, and is facing huge demand for new homes.
But concerns were raised by some at Thursday's planning meeting over whether the scheme would benefit the city overall.
Rebecca Long-Bailey MP spoke about the need for more services in the area and urged HIM to withdraw its planning application and reconsult with residents over the plans.
She added: "With the increase in population in 6 to 7,000 residents, there will be a need for extra GP places, school places, dentist places and a chemist, and at the moment there are still too many questions left unanswered."
John Grant, one of the objectors speaking at the meeting, added: "3,300 apartments in this tiny block is massive overdevelopment, 3,300 homes here would create a concrete jungle, 3,300 homes would sound the death knell of Ordsall as we know it now."
Ordsall councillors Brendan Keville and Ben Grogan also spoke against the plans.
Coun Keville said local services in the neighbourhood are 'already stretched to breaking point', and accused the developer of planning to build 'luxury apartments in tall towers designed for investors not residents'.
Jay Squier, managing director at Henley Investment Management, defended the application, describing the designs as a 'once in a generation opportunity for Salford' which would bring major benefits to the city.
Addressing concerns from councillors and residents, he said: "A refusal today would not mean later, it would mean saying no to 660 affordable homes at social rent in the city centre."
During the panel's discussion, some councillors said they were concerned about the impact of the development on the city.
Coun Robin Garrido said he believes the site needs to be developed, but urged the panel to consider the traffic impacts it could have.
He added: "You can't get away from the fact that traffic is static in that area virtually every day.
"This development will have an enormous effect on local traffic."
Coun Mike McCusker, the council's lead member for planning, supported the plans and moved it for approval.
"We're moving to small shops that are there primarily to deal with residents' needs rather than big box stores in the past, so change is inevitable," he said.
Coun McCusker also spoke about the urgent need for new homes, adding: "660 affordable houses is a huge amount that will have a massive impact on our waiting list and residents in Ordsall whose kids can't get out the house in their late 30s."
Coun Andrew Walters said he had 'significant concern' about how the development could put pressure on parking issues.
Salford council's planning panel voted to approve the application during the crunch meeting today (Thursday, November 6) with seven votes in favour and three against.
A blueprint for the future of the site showed it will have 10,000 sqm of space set aside for community uses as well as shops and businesses.
Approval of the plans will see the northern half of Regent Retail Park off Regent Road knocked down to make way for the new homes, with construction set to last ten years.
The scheme does not cover the southern section of the site where the Sainsbury's is located.
Ten new blocks made of a red-brick colour palette will replace the existing shops, with concept drawings showing the biggest up to 78 stories tall (273m Above Ordnance Datum), and 600 car parking spaces in the development.
It will be a complete transformation of the site which is based close to the River Irwell and the boundary with Manchester city centre.
The changes include a new bus gate on the southern part of the Ordsall Lane/Middlewood Street/East Ordsall Lane/Hampson Street signal junction.
Redesigning this junction is expected to be a CYCLOPS junction, which stands for Cycle Optimised Protected Signals, designed to improve safety for cyclists and pedestrians by separating them from motor traffic.
A trip generator forecast showed there would be more than 5,000 fewer daily trips at the site compared to the current retail park use, with a minor increase in traffic during the morning rush hour.
A Salford council officer said: "You look around the road network and the magnitude of change is negligible."
More than 460 letters of objections were sent to Salford council about the scheme, with concerns ranging from fears about the loss of shops at the Retail Park to concerns about how the scheme could impact local roads and parking.
The Save Regent Retail Park Campaign was set up to oppose the plans, with petitions to protect the shops signed by thousands of people.
HIM previously said all the existing shops at the Retail Park have been invited back to the new development.
The application was supposed to be decided in July, but councillors at the time postponed the decision to ask for more detailed information about affordable housing and the impact on local roads.
HIM submitted new information which was shared at today's planning meeting.
The developer highlighted its commitment to reserving 660 homes for 'social rent or another form approved by the city council' through a lease agreement with the town hall.
An updated information pack also stated that healthcare services could be set up within the site, with the NHS to be offered 'first refusal' on floorspace to meet any 'evidenced needs' in the area.
Salford council officers noted in the planning report that the lease agreement would 'provide the mechanism to secure the affordable housing offer', and that 3,300 new homes 'would not result in a severe impact on the highway network'.
They recommended the plans be approved by councillors in light of the information provided by HIM.
Before the meeting, a war of words broke out between campaigners against the plans and the developer.
Ordsall Councillor Ben Grogan announced he would not take part in the meeting, and lost his vote on making the decision.
He said the move came after a document was sent to Salford council questioning his impartiality over the proposals.
Coun Grogan said: "After meeting with council officers and the Monitoring Officer to discuss the issue, I'm clear that the claims are circumstantial and that the council has followed all the correct procedures."
He explained that he made the decision to avoid any potential questions being made over the decision process.
Coun Neil Reynolds also withdrew from the vote during the meeting, after declaring that he works for Rebecca Long-Bailey's office and the MP speaking against the application.
