A new high rise tower block could create more than 180 new flats in Salford if approved next week. These will be in three linked blocks with the tallest standing 18 storeys high with a part three-to-four storey block extending southwards, at Springfield Business Centre on Springfield Lane. The site is next to the river Irwell and near to Manchester Victoria station. Block B is set to be four storeys in height, with a portion of the block rising to five storeys. The proposal includes 81 one-bedroom, 97 two-bedroom, and five three-bedroom flats. All of the new homes are planned to be rented out and managed by a single landlord. Commercial buildings are currently on the land and these are now all empty. The planning application – if successful – will see the demolition of all the existing buildings on the site before the new tower blocks are put up. Block B is planning to have an internal courtyard offering residents more space for leisure. Plans for the new flats were first submitted in October 2022 by Torsion Development and SI-SI Investments, and since then it has had more than a hundred residents object to the scheme. Concerns include an increase in traffic congestion, a rise in anti-social behaviour around the site, and the possibility of local residents being priced out of the scheme. None of the proposed new homes will be designated as affordable after the developer found it would not be viable to include any in the plans. Salford is facing a shortage of affordable housing, and the city council is looking at a number of ways to increase the supply for residents. It was the first Greater Manchester town hall to adopt the Places for Everyone scheme, a plan to create thousands of new homes and jobs around the region. The city is also dealing with a rise in homelessness, with growing numbers of people approaching the council due to not having anywhere to live. Proposals for the 183 new homes will be voted on by councillors at Salford’s Planning and Transportation Regulatory Panel next Thursday.
