“There’s nothing to come here for any more,” says Vicki Warren, a 44-year-old who works at the community café in Eccles Shopping Centre.
Based in the heart of the town, the shops and market in Eccles used to be where locals came together for a bit of shopping or a bite to eat.
But on a sunny Friday afternoon in October, Ms Warren points to rows of empty shops, closed ahead of demolition work set to begin at one section of the shopping centre in November. Eccles Market, which is also closed, falls within phase one of the plans, and will be demolished along with the main site.
Salford City Council bought the site for £4 million in December 2022 with a plan for major regeneration, after residents said the shopping complex had become “downtrodden” and “left behind.”
The Labour controlled council plans to breathe new life in the town by turning Eccles Shopping Centre into a place where people want to go to spend their time and money.
That means fewer shops, more green and public spaces, and more leisure choices, the council says, in hope of creating a ‘more vibrant’ town.
Town hall bosses overseeing the change say it will transform Eccles, creating new homes and spaces for businesses.
However, locals told the Local Democracy Reporting Service that they have been left in the dark about what the future will look like.
Change won’t happen overnight, the council says, but despite talk of a new future for Eccles, there remains no masterplan for the work, and a developer to bring the vision to life has not yet been appointed.
Residents look around and see their shopping centre half empty, wondering when they will start to see improvements happening.
“As shops have closed such as Home Bargains the footfall has gone,” Ms Warren added.
“There’s a good community in Eccles, everyone looks out for each other. But it needs investment in things people want and need. It needs someone who cares, there’s no heart here any more.
“There are a lot of older people here and the cafes are a lifeline for them. We’re not an affluent area, so there’s a need for more affordable shops.
“I feel really let down that it has become like this. They’re building all these skyscrapers, but look at what’s happened here.”
While walking through the shopping centre, it becomes clear that many of the regular customers know each other and the traders working in the area.
People pop their heads into shop doors to let on to friends, stopping for a chat as much as to buy something.
Locals say the town has a proud working class identity, and that the shopping centre needs a mix of shops with affordable prices.
A Salford council report in 2021 found that Eccles is one of the most deprived parts of the borough for elderly people.
This leads to more people having long-term conditions and illnesses compared to others in less deprived areas, the report states, and having to depend on health and social care support for longer periods of time.
For many, the shopping centre is an escape from these issues, and a vital source of support.
Kaz Sephton is one of the traders based in the shopping centre. For the past six months, she has been running the British Heart Foundation shop, and admits to having a unique perspective to the town as an “outsider”.
She said: “It’s a low-income neighbourhood and there’s a lot of mental and physical ill health. Everyone knows each other, it is very community orientated.
“People want affordable shops, and more than just charity shops, they want a place where they can go and buy everything. They were really sad when shops such as Poundland closed, and Wilko.
“Eccles feels dead, all we see is closed shops, it can’t always be like that.
“But there is a feeling of hope because people love it here, they want it to change. We just don’t know what is going on.”
Sitting on a bench between the shops, Jill Floyd – an Eccles resident for 30 years – agrees that the town centre is “bit depressing” at the moment, and says people want a place where they can spend all day.
“When they got rid of the market that was the start, people can spend all day in a market but not in a shop.
“They want to have a chat and see all their friends. There are no shops here anymore – we need them to come back.
“We’re aware that it will be knocked down, it’s great if it brings people in, but there’s nothing here for them now.
“It’s sad that it’s gone, the shopping centre is the heart of the town, but it’s been in decline for years.”
John Duffy, one of the staff members at the shopping centre who has worked there for 13 years, adds that he too is unaware of what the future holds for the town.
“I do think there’s hope for the future, but we don’t know what’s going on,” he says.
“They aren’t telling us anything. We don’t know if we’ll be made redundant or keep our jobs.
“We used to have a Home Bargains and Boots, there used to be record shops and a beauty parlour. It was a great place for everyone.
“But it feels like we are losing what it once was.
“We have a tram, we have a shopping centre, there are people here and there is a certain charm to Eccles. I would like to see a resurgence.”
Despite the long wait for the changes to begin at Eccles Shopping Centre, the first phase of work – knocking down one section of the complex – is due to begin next month.
Demolition of phase one of the shopping centre and multi-storey car park starts in November, with this area due to be cleared for redevelopment by July 2025.
Salford council says it plans to appoint a developer to take forward the regeneration plans next year, which will then see the plans shared with the public and the launch of a consultation going into 2026, with locals able to offer feedback on the designs.
Lisa Muir from Salford Labour Party said after the demolition work has started, there will be a “a blank canvas” to create a masterplan for the town.
Ms Muir, who is standing as a candidate in the council’s Eccles by-election later this month, said: “As someone who lives in Eccles, I see a combination of hope and curiosity about what the Eccles regeneration holds.
“We want to put the community at the heart of the regeneration, so we have an Eccles that works for everyone.
“Like many places, Eccles town centre has struggled recently, but it remains an attractive place for residents and businesses, with a strong sense of community, great transport links and attractive civic spaces.
“If elected I will work with Major Dennett and the rest of our Labour colleagues to make Eccles a vibrant, exciting, modern market town, that’s a great place to live, work, eat and meet.”
