Salford council has earmarked land for the construction of over 1,000 new homes across the city. The selected plots form part of its draft local plan aimed at increasing housing numbers and outlining 'visions for [its] different neighbourhoods' until 2042.
This initiative complements Greater Manchester's Places for Everyone plan, adopted by the council in March, which aims to construct 28,000 homes throughout Salford. Coun Mike McCusker said the draft local plan will "determine where new homes, businesses and other places should be situated".
Major sites include a combination of nearly 500 houses and flats on Orchard Street land, 160 homes on land off Hayes Road and Green Lane in Cadishead, and 130 houses on the former St Ambrose Barlow High School site. The plan also proposes 35 new pitches for Gypsies and Travellers on land at Duchy Road, south of the electricity substation.
"The draft local plan will also safeguard Salford's most significant green spaces for future generations," added Coun McCusker, as it designates 18 city areas for special development protection, including Buile Hill Park and Weaste Cemetery. A ten-week consultation on the proposals is set to commence on December 9 and conclude on February 17.
Salford council was the first in Greater Manchester to adopt the Places for Everyone plan in March, a move City Mayor Paul Dennett described as a "critical" step towards addressing poverty and facilitating city growth, reports .
The plan to build on some of Salford's green belt land as part of the strategy has sparked controversy in the city. Among the proposed sites is Hazelhurst Farm in Worsley, where plans to erect 400 new homes are facing opposition from hundreds of locals on the council's planning portal.
Coun Robin Garrido, the leader of Salford Conservatives, voted against the adoption of the plan in March, saying, "We are not against a plan, we need a strategic plan for Greater Manchester, but we are against many aspects of the plan.
"Putting the green belt to one side, we do not think that it addresses all the issues which need to be addressed with infrastructure generally."
While Places for Everyone has been adopted by nine regional councils, Stockport withdrew in 2020 due to concerns about green belt loss.
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