The council cabinet in Salford has formally approved a new Local Plan that sets out how the city will change over the next 17 years, including proposals for 34,818 new homes and significant new employment space.
What the plan contains
The document — which councillors agreed this week — establishes priorities for different neighbourhoods across the borough, from housing and industrial growth to parks and infrastructure improvements. Over the plan period to 2043 the council says it expects to see:
- 34,818 new homes to meet projected housing needs;
- 268,000 sqm of new office floorspace;
- 584,000 sqm of industrial and warehouse space, described in the plan as the equivalent of around 120 football pitches of employment land.
The plan names 16 new development areas across Salford. It combines allocations on former brownfield land intended for regeneration with sites on greenbelt released through the wider Greater Manchester Places for Everyone framework.
Local neighbourhood impacts
The plan provides a breakdown of expected change by neighbourhood. For example, the Claremont, Weaste and Seedley area is identified for 625 new homes but council officers say they anticipate "relatively little change" to the area overall during the plan period. Priorities there include maintaining the established residential character, improvements to Buile Hill Park and Weaste Cemetery, and upgrading hospital facilities at Salford Royal to respond to growing demand.
"relatively little change"
Other named areas will see more substantial development. The plan highlights hundreds of homes around Boothstown adjacent to the RHS Garden Bridgewater — proposals that have already prompted local protest. Certain roads, such as Bolton Road and Duncan Matheson, are proposed to become strategic hubs for outdoor sports, though the plan does not yet set out detailed designs for those schemes.
| Planned provision | Figure |
|---|---|
| Homes | 34,818 |
| New office floorspace | 268,000 sqm |
| Industrial/warehouse space | 584,000 sqm |
Next steps and how residents can respond
Documents relating to the Local Plan will be published for public consultation for eight weeks beginning on 31 July. This will give residents, community groups and businesses an opportunity to review the proposals for their neighbourhoods and submit comments before the plan is finalised.
Officials say the plan is intended to balance the need for new homes and jobs with improvements to parks, health facilities and sports provision. Nonetheless, some allocations — particularly on greenbelt land — have already attracted opposition from local groups concerned about loss of open space, traffic and pressure on services.
Residents who wish to take part in the consultation should look out for the council’s consultation documents from 31 July for details on how to respond and the specific proposals affecting individual wards.
The Local Plan will be one of the defining strategic documents for the city over the next two decades, shaping where people live and work and setting the parameters for future planning decisions across Salford.
