A new 238-room hotel on Deansgate, a 105-home plan for Stand Golf Course, and 216 affordable homes in Salford are among the major planning applications submitted across Greater Manchester this week.
Manchester: Deansgate Hotel
An ‘internationally recognised’ operator is bringing a new 238-room hotel to Deansgate under recent plans. Maybrook House, currently six storeys tall, would gain an extra two storeys to accommodate the hotel, which would operate on a ‘lean luxury’ model with a bar area and ‘prep’ kitchen. The hotel is estimated to create 60 permanent full-time equivalent jobs in hospitality and contribute £3.3m annually to the local economy. The application, submitted by Deansgate Ventures Limited, describes the venue as ‘car free’ in a ‘highly sustainable and accessible location’ near Victoria train station and Metrolink links.
Bury: Stand Golf Course Housing Plan
A 105-home plan for part of Stand Golf Course at the edge of Whitefield has been branded ‘catastrophic’ by residents, with over 100 objections filed. Concerns include impacts on roads and services, loss of natural habitats, and increased noise and light pollution. The scheme would demolish the existing clubhouse and rebuild it on the opposite side of the course, clearing land for 45 houses and 60 retirement apartments.
Salford: 216 Affordable Homes in Swinton
Developer Kellen Homes plans to transform a former toy warehouse site off Pendlebury Road in Swinton into a ‘high quality new neighbourhood’ with 216 affordable homes. The ‘underused brownfield site’ would be bulldozed to make way for four new tower blocks and around 44 semi-detached family homes, with 86 parking spaces, a pocket park, and landscaping.
Rochdale: SEND School in Empty Warehouse
An empty warehouse on Kingsway West Business Park could become a school for 50 pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). The proposal by Whitehall Academy includes six classrooms, three sensory rooms, a multi-purpose hall, offices, and a secure play area. No external changes are planned except for fenced artificial grass on the west side.
Oldham: Restoration of St Paul’s Methodist Church
Plans to renovate the Grade II-listed St Paul’s Methodist Church in Shaw have drawn hundreds of objections. The chapel, abandoned in 1975, partially collapsed in February 2019. Mohammadia Masjid and Islamic Centre, which bought the site in 2021, aims to establish a community social and religious assembly. A section of the chapel wall was accidentally knocked down during clearance but is promised to be reinstated.
Wigan: Red Lion Pub Demolition and Starbucks Drive-Thru
GTTD Properties Ltd has applied to demolish the vacant mid-19th-century Red Lion pub on Westleigh Lane, Leigh, and build three homes on the site. Separately, a Starbucks drive-thru is proposed at Marus Bridge Retail Park in Winstanley, which already houses Sainsbury’s, McDonald’s, B&M, and a petrol station. If approved, it would be the borough’s third Starbucks outlet.
