Plague victims may have been buried near the site of a new apartment block in Salford, according to new research. The area is near the Parish Church of St. Mary the Virgin on Church Road in Eccles, Church Road, which has stood at the site for more than 800 years. Information shared by the Greater Manchester Archaeological Advisory Service (GMAAS) suggested the site ‘may have been used during the later medieval period as a common grave for plague victims’ buried beyond the edge of the churchyard. The findings were shared by GMAAS in a report at Salford council’s Planning and Transportation Regulatory Panel. A planning application for a new nine-storey apartment building on nearby St Marys Road was approved. It will see a new complex built with a community centre at ground floor level and a total of 35 homes in the building. The application was previously approved in a planning meeting in December, but it came up again due to the new graveyard findings. GMAAS stated that “the potential presence of human remains within the site should not be seen as a preclusion to development” and offered no objection to the plans. However, it requested that an archaeological watching brief is maintained at the location as a precautionary measure while groundworks take place. Five objections were made against the new apartment building by residents, who raised concerns over the loss of green space, an increase in traffic, and worries about air quality. An assessment has identified that a church has been present on the site since the Norman period with the earliest part of it dating to the 13th century. It a Grade I listed building which is considered to be of “national significance”, according to a heritage statement submitted as part of the application.
