The future of an “eyesore” Salford building remains in doubt after a councillor said there are no “immediate” plans to knock it down.
Swinton’s derelict Lancastrian Hall and Central Library was built in 1969 but has been left sitting empty since the library service relocated to Swinton Gateway in 2015.
Last year, residents and a Salford councillor made new calls to level the building and use the land for something else, but the chances of that happening soon appear slim.
The building is not mentioned by name in the council’s £100m spending programme up to 2027/28, and councillors shared concerns about the building becoming a hot spot for anti-social behaviour during Salford council’s cabinet meeting on February 11.
Coun Bill Hinds said the site “might be on [the council’s list] of works,” but that demolition “[does not look] immediate.”
A council officer said the building poses a huge problem because of the complexity of trying to knock it down without impacting Swinton Square shopping centre which is joined to the structure.
Coun John Merry said there have been “a number of complaints” from a local business about the building being used for anti-social behaviour, with “people throwing rocks from it” down below.
Coun Gina Reynolds added that the building is “an issue that residents raise with us all the time,” calling for more progress on plans for the future of the area.
Plans to change Swinton have been in the pipeline for years, with the council having already spoken to residents about what they want to see – a project known as the ‘Swinton Vision’, reported to have cost £350,000.
The town hall says there is ‘overwhelming support’ to demolish Lancastrian Hall and that Swinton is looking ‘increasingly dated and tired, with too many empty buildings and shops’.
The council said its plans for Swinton are set to move forward after regeneration work in Eccles, where there are plans for a town-centre revamp based around the shopping centre.
