Salford Council has accepted more than £1m of grant funding to make progress on two major plans that will change the face of Eccles and Salford Crescent.
Eccles Town Centre masterplan funding
A £340,000 grant from GMCA will be put towards driving forward the Eccles Town Centre masterplan, which aims to transform the town’s shopping precinct. The plan by urban developers Muse and the council include bringing more shops and cafes to Church Street, creating a community hub that can host live events, music, and family activities, and building more than 1,200 new homes in the town centre.
The masterplan has been through a period of public consultation, where locals raised some concerns about town centre parking. The scheme is due to be presented for approval to the council in December before Muse can proceed with a planning application.
The GMCA funding will be used ‘for a range of purposes to support and inform the development of the delivery strategy’, which includes a car parking strategy in response to local concerns, a transport survey, and a study on which buildings may need to be acquired for the plans to work, says a report.
Salford Crescent transformation grant
Meanwhile a £677,500 grant will be passed on to the England Cities Fund (ECF), who are working on the transformation of Salford Crescent. The £2.5bn project in the area around Salford University is already underway, with an expanded campus for the uni, plans for new housing blocks, and the £15m Salford Rise walkway project – a 220m bike and pedestrian route over Frederick Road.
This time, Homes England funding (£242,500), GMCA growth funding (£135,000), and GMCA Economic Development and Regeneration funding (£300,000) will be earmarked for a new residential area across the ‘Adelphi Village Zone’ and a mixed residential and retail area around the uni.
The funding is specifically expected to be used for ‘new homes and commercial/innovation floorspace across the Crescent area, alongside new public realm and active travel infrastructure’, according to a council report. The Adelphi Village plan includes redeveloping the Centenary Building Car Park and the Farmer Norton Car Park. More than 260 new homes have already been approved on the former site of the old Adelphi and Centenary Building on Peru Street too.
Councillors welcome funding package
Councillors welcomed the funding and the ‘very useful package’ of groundwork they’re due to fund at a special regeneration meeting on Monday, September 12.
