Largest council housing scheme for 50 years in Salford

The largest scheme of housing developments for 50 years in Salford has been given the green light.

Salford City Mayor approved recommendations from officers at the Property and Regeneration Briefing on Monday 14 December for a ‘self-build residential development case’ for 417 new eco-friendly homes to help tackle the housing crisis in the city, with support from its arm’s length company Dérive. Of the homes, 188 will be available for social rent, 127 for affordable rent, 52 to the private rented sector and 50 will be sold. They will provide a quality and sustainable range of house types and size to meet local needs.

And the ambition doesn’t stop there, in total, thousands of extra new units could be provided by Salford City Council in the next ten years with the vast majority managed by Dérive - if access to funding is successful.

Works on 104 of the homes available for social rent will start in February 2021. Construction will start at Clifton Green in Pendlebury as well as Brassington Avenue and Ryall Avenue which are both in Ordsall. The developments are made up of 30 homes and 99 apartments including the provision of wheelchair friendly homes at all sites. Planning permission was approved for all the developments in October 2020 and all homes will be constructed based on a fabric first low carbon/low energy approach which the council hopes will encourage other housing developers to follow its environmental lead.

The council also plans to buy 25 homes at a development on Kara Street, Langworthy through its own housing company Dérive. These affordable homes will be made available for local people at social rent levels and consist of one bedroomed apartments, as well as two and three bedroomed houses.

The approval of the development case by the City Mayor also gave full approval for 66 homes at the former St Lukes Primary School in Weaste and 45 homes at the former Irwell Valley School in Irwell Riverside. The two schemes will deliver 111 homes of which 69 will be owned by community led organisations Inspiring Communities Housing and the Broughton Trust with whom the City Mayor has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding. They will consist of one and two bedroomed apartments as well as two, three and four bedroomed homes let at affordable rents. Both proposals are subject to planning approval which will be submitted in Spring 2021. Seddon has been appointed as the selected contractor to deliver the community led housing schemes and the Clfton Green, Brassington and Ryall Avenue developments.

In addition, Longshaw Drive in Little Hulton will see 177 homes – made up of 132 houses and 45 apartments. These will be let at social, affordable rents, private rents and sale – to provide a range of housing options and choices.

Homes England have kindly provided grant funding for the Clifton Green, Brassington Avenue ,Ryall Avenue and Kara Street properties and it is now intended to apply for further grant funding support on the remaining units.

The intention is that, apart from a small number of units that will be for sale on the Longshaw and St Lukes sites, the homes will ultimately be taken under the control of Dérive – a housing company wholly owned by Salford City Council.

Salford City Mayor Paul Dennett said: “Providing truly affordable housing has always been one of my top priorities and yesterday marked a significant milestone in that journey.

“The approval of this development case is very exciting for Salford City Council and represents the largest scheme of housing developments by the Council for 50 years.

“Housing waiting lists are far too long and the market is providing nowhere near enough truly affordable solutions to tackle the homelessness and housing crises in our city.

“These developments and others to follow, will help tackle the crisis for the benefit of local people and all our communities, providing quality affordable homes and apartments in different locations that are a mix of sizes that local people need.

“This is the beginning, my intention is to deliver many more truly affordable homes for people and families in our city over the coming years. We will continue to think innovatively and use all our powers to do all we can for local people in relation to the provision of affordable housing.”

Councillor Tracy Kelly, Deputy City Mayor and Lead Member for Housing at Salford City Council and a Director of Dérive, said: “This decision is fantastic news for all our communities and generations to come, everyone deserves to have a roof over their head and a place to call home! This is the largest scheme of truly affordable housing developments in the city for 50 years. I cannot wait to welcome people into their much-needed new homes.”

Duncan Williams, Divisional Director at Seddon said: “We’re proud to be working with Salford City Council to deliver more than 230 affordable family homes in five locations across the city, creating thriving communities for now and future generations.

“It is our belief that people make places, and we expect the impact of these new homes to be far-reaching. The project will deliver new housing where it’s needed most and provide a vital lifeline for businesses by supporting the local supply chain and workforce, including opening up training opportunities via apprenticeships.”