Major regeneration is coming to Salford, but some critics say the new designs 'look like East Berlin.' More than 260 new homes have been approved on the former site of an award-winning building, though not everyone is impressed.
Development Details
The old Adelphi and Centenary Building on Peru Street were demolished last year to make way for new housing. Now, a complex of three five-to-six-storey apartment blocks with a total of 263 homes has been greenlit. The Centenary Building won the Royal Institute of British Architects Stirling Prize in 1996 and was regarded as the UK's best new building at the time. However, it sat empty for years before being bulldozed in October last year.
ECF, a partnership between developers and government agencies, has permission to transform the area into two L-shaped blocks around a green courtyard, with 74 and 77 one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments for sale and private rental, plus a longer tower block with 112 affordable homes. Most affordable homes will be single-bedroom units, with four two-bed apartments.
Community Benefits
Steve Thomas, senior development officer for ECF, told a planning meeting on June 12 that the development would introduce a 'strong place-making strategy' by adding green spaces, better pedestrian and cycle links, and more affordable homes. He said: 'The proposal has been put together through extensive consultation with the council and the local community, and the many benefits include regeneration of an underused brownfield site, well-designed and energy-efficient new homes, and creation of several job opportunities.'
Plans include closing off Peru Street to through traffic to create a green space. There will be eight accessible car parking spaces, with residents relying on 'well-connected, sustainable public transport links.'
Criticism and Defense
The application received only one objection and was widely welcomed by councillors. However, Councillor Bob Clarke blasted the design, saying: 'This has no architectural value whatsoever. It's a blot on the landscape, just a block. These buildings never age well, and I wish more could be done to cover it in greenery. It looks like something out of post-war East Berlin.'
Others defended the building, arguing it 'echoed the architectural language of the surrounding area' and carried nods to the former uses of the site.
Regeneration Context
The application was passed, meaning another major part of the Salford Crescent regeneration is due to go ahead. The £2.5bn project by ECF – made up of urban developers Muse, Homes England, and L&G – aims to transform 240 acres of Salford around the university. Several projects are already underway or nearing completion, such as Salford Rise, a 'green walkway in the sky' over Frederick Road. Plans have also been approved for 227 new homes at the former Farmer Norton car park.
