Salford building boom set to continue

Seven developments have been given the go-ahead by city planners, including one dubbed the biggest residential development in the northwest of England.

It brings the total number of homes granted planning permission to more than 17,800 as part of an estimated £3.5bn worth of investment planned for the city over the next 10 years.

City mayor Ian Stewart said: "Salford is booming. This is a fantastic level of growth and will provide much needed new homes, new jobs, new businesses and opportunities for local residents."

By the end of March 2015, planning permission had been granted for close to 3,000 houses and almost 11,000 apartments in the city. Since then permission has been given for another 700 houses and over 3,100 apartments.

Latest developments to be approved include four 26-storey buildings at Salford Quays, housing 1,100 apartments. The £200m development, called X1 Media City, will be built on land off Michigan Avenue. It also include 1,573m² of commercial space for shops and/or community facilities and is being led by X1 Developments and Knight Knox International.

Salford is also set to get a 300-apartment student accommodation scheme across two blocks of eight- and 12-storeys on the site of the BUPA car park off King William Street in Salford Quays.

Approval was also given for a new six-storey office block for health company BUPA on a site known as The Regent, next to Dock 9 and the Erie Basin. Around 2,000 staff will relocate from the company's current offices in the Anchorage and Victoria buildings. Construction is expected to start next year.

The former Willows Rugby Club site is also being turned into housing under an £11m scheme of 82 houses and 21 apartments being delivered by Watson Homes and City West Housing Trust.

Bloor Homes and Bellway Homes have also been given approval for new hosuign developments in the city. Bloor will build 179 houses at Burgess Farm, Worsley, where Redrow Homes is already building. Bellway will build 140 new homes in Monton at the former Mitchell Shackleton Vulcan engineering works.

Finally, on the former Vita site in Seaford Road, Rock Asset Management has been cleared to build 80 new homes in a £7.5m development.

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