“If they put another 300 houses here, I don’t know how we’ll cope,” says Carolyn Radcliff, a resident in Boothstown, the Salford village adjoining affluent Worsley.
The 66-year-old proudly points out that she’s Worsley born and bred – but she’s really worried about the future of the area.
It’s a place where rows of terraced homes are nestled between pubs, shops, and tree-lined roads – popular with families and people who want to live closer to nature.
There are long-standing problems with traffic in the area, as the main road through the village throngs with cars at all times of day and night, which is an annoyance to many residents.
But the latest concern is a proposed scheme by Peel Land to build 295 new houses on a patch of land next to RHS Garden Bridgewater, just outside Boothstown.
The developer says new homes are needed to tackle the urgent shortage of housing in Salford.
Residents argue there aren’t enough schools, doctors, or dentists in their village, and that they can’t handle a sudden influx of people.
It’s a standoff which has created apprehension in the community.
Ms Radcliff said it’s difficult to even leave the area at times by car, and new homes and vehicles will make the problem worse.
She added:
“There’s standstill traffic all the time. There’s not enough local services for us.
“It’s nice having green spaces around, if they build on every speck of land what will people do? It’s going to be a nightmare.”
Land designated for the proposed new homes falls under Salford’s green belt, but it’s set to be released under a Greater Manchester-wide scheme to boost house building – Places for Everyone.
The plan has been adopted by nine councils in the region, with Salford being the first. Only Stockport decided to opt out.
Places for Everyone could see up to 28,000 houses built around Salford, and it was described as “critical” for the city’s future by mayor Paul Dennett.
It’s not without controversy though, and Conservative councillors in the Worsley area spoke out against it, claiming that it was against the wishes of local people.
That sentiment rings true in Boothstown where residents are worried their village will be swallowed up by huge new housing developments.
Ann Cunningham is another local in the village who wants to stop Peel Land’s plans.
She’s worried it will bring hundreds of extra cars to the road, creating more pollution and adding to the existing traffic problems.
She, said:
“It’s just not a village anymore.
“Look at the size of the community centre. We have a tiny library, we can’t take another thousand people.
“There are not enough spaces for our kids. I feel for children growing up with all these fumes.
“I know they need to build houses, but there’s not enough room here for them.
“There’s not enough infrastructure, we don’t have enough dentists or schools.
“Today I saw a deer which had fallen into the canal, there’s just nowhere for wildlife to go anymore.”
Phil Farr, 62, agrees – he sent his two children to school in Urmston, because he says there is a shortage of places in Boothstown.
He thinks Peel Land’s plan is about making money, and that the new homes will be too expensive for the local community.
Mr Farr said:
“The infrastructure is lacking at the best of times. On Leigh Road between 7 in the morning and 9.30, you can’t move, it’s at a standstill, there’s so much traffic.
“I don’t want these new houses to be built. It used to take two minutes to get to Worsley roundabout from here, but now it’s thirty minutes if you’re lucky.
“This is all about money. Out of 300 houses there’s 50 percent affordable but here that still means two to £300,000.
“There’s anger in the community about this. We all agree we need houses, we know that, but there’s a place for it.”
A planning application for the new homes has already been submitted, but before construction can begin it needs approval from Salford council’s planning committee.
The panel is dominated by Labour, but the application is likely to face opposition from Tory councillors in Boothstown and Worsley.
Meanwhile, Salford is struggling to provide enough affordable homes for its growing population and homelessness is rising.
Years of austerity and cuts to the town hall’s budget from Westminster have piled pressure on Salford families and council services.
The shortage of homes, Peel Land says, is why the plan could make a real difference in Salford.
The firm withdrew a previous plan to build 350 homes on the same site, after critical feedback from the council and community.
It says the concerns have been accounted for in the new scheme, and that it is aware of ongoing problems with traffic in the village.
A spokesperson from the firm told the Local Democracy Reporting Service:
“We fully recognise there are existing infrastructure concerns locally.
“We have taken the time and effort to amend and resubmit the proposal in response to issues raised.
“The application documents include fully updated assessments of all the infrastructure issues, including transport, education and health.
“The scheme will meet the city council’s requirements for Section 106 contributions and a discussion is ongoing with the relevant authorities over transport mitigation and active travel.
“The planning application and all supporting information is subject to current consultation with the local community and a wide range of bodies to fully consider all issues before the city council makes a decision.”
Despite the assurances, doubts remain.
Meanwhile, earlier this year, another, bigger development got planning consent on nearby Mosley Common.
This could see more than a thousand homes built on the border of Wigan and Salford, to the north of Boothstown, adding to fears the village will be hemmed in by big, new developments.
Mike Davies, 62, said Boothstown is a place where locals bump into each other at the shops and know each other by name.
Mike is worried that could be about to change forever, he said:
“We have a lovely community and a lot of people know each other around here,” he said.
“It’s just the traffic situation that has exploded. There will be extra cars but the infrastructure is not here.
“We have the RHS now, but I don’t want to see the green belt go.”
