A new 18-story tower block will be built in Salford after plans were given planning permission by the council. It will see 183 homes built on land at the Springfield Business Centre on Springfield Lane. The new build-to-rent development is next to the River Irwell with homes spread across two blocks of differing heights and is expected to be managed by a single landlord. Other sections of the development are shorter, standing between three and five storeys. It includes no affordable homes, which is lower than the council’s aim of 20 per cent per development. The application received more than 100 objections by the time it came before the council’s planning committee. Furious residents opposed the plan, warning that it could harm the community and drive up rent prices. Rebecca Long-Bailey, Labour MP for Salford and Eccles, presented a statement against the scheme, raising concerns over affordability and the impact on residents’ quality of life. She said: “I want to ensure my objection is noted today. A decision to grant the application would in my view be unsound. “It would be a staggering dereliction of duty to approve a housing development of this size that did not include any affordable homes.” Conservative councillor Karen Garrido asked the council’s planning committee how it could accept a development without considering the impact on rent prices and affordability. Coun Garrido said: “We’ve got a policy for affordable housing, and on this site I understand 20 percent would be about 30 homes, I can’t understand why we have not held to this. “There should be affordable houses on this site. I totally and utterly cannot accept this development.” A planning officer noted that there can be exceptions to the 20pc affordable housing figure. Coun Roseanna Wain agreed the tower block would be ‘out of character’ with neighbourhood and said the number of objections showed there was ‘no support for this within our community’. Three residents spoke at the meeting, tabling their fears about the possibility of losing sunlight. The site is near the Bridgewater Community Garden, which locals said is a vital asset for the community which could be lost without enough light. But the planning officer cited a study which found the loss of light would be within acceptable levels, and most of the daylight lost at the garden would be from existing buildings rather than the new site. Marie, a member of the residents association, said the community garden ‘brings people together’ and helps people without access to nature. She added: “This tower is in danger of jeopardising this as a community asset.” A planning consultant speaking in favour of the plans hit back, telling members that the community garden will be unaffected by the proposals. He said once built it would generate £4.2min council tax over the next ten years, and provide a boost to the economy when new residents spend money at local businesses and services. Four councillors voted to approve the scheme and two against it, which means consturction on the new development can begin. The row comes at a time when Salford is facing a homelessness crisis and a shortage of housing, as the city struggles to meet growing demand for homes from residents. The city has seen its population grow over the past few years, with a number of residential developments being built around the city, especially clustered around areas such as Greengate and Salford Quays.
