Salford City Council has approved plans for a massive £1 billion development that will create Greater Manchester's tallest skyscraper, despite facing widespread opposition from residents and local officials. The controversial project will feature 10 high-rise towers providing 3,300 homes on land adjacent to Regent Retail Park in Ordsall, Salford.
The centerpiece of the development will be a towering 895-foot (273-meter) building with 77 floors, making it the third tallest structure in the entire country. This massive skyscraper will stand 73 meters higher than the current regional record-holder, the Deansgate Square building. The ambitious project represents what developers are calling the "biggest housing-led development in Salford for 50 years."
Henley Investment Management (HIM), the development company behind the project, plans a 10-year construction timeline that will require demolishing the northern section of Regent Retail Park to make room for the new residential towers. The developers estimate their project will generate £3.7 million annually for the city through council tax revenue while bringing numerous additional economic benefits to the area.
Hattie Charlier-Poole, a spokesperson for the development team, defended the large-scale project by highlighting the national housing crisis. "It's very well publicized that the nation as a whole is struggling to build homes," she stated. "It is the right place to house a lot of people and a lot of services." The developers have promised that the site will include 660 affordable housing units, a community center, a public park, and designated space for healthcare facilities.
The approval comes as Salford faces significant housing pressure, with 5,000 people currently on the city's housing waiting list and enormous demand for new residential options. However, the planning approval process revealed deep concerns about the project's potential impact on the local community and infrastructure.
Rebecca Long-Bailey, the area's Member of Parliament, strongly opposed the development and urged HIM to withdraw their planning application for additional community consultation. She expressed serious concerns about the strain on local services, saying, "With the increase in population, there will be a need for extra GP places, school places, dentist places and a chemist, and at the moment there are still too many questions left unanswered."
Local resident John Grant voiced even stronger opposition during the planning meeting, characterizing the development as excessive overdevelopment. "The 3,300 apartments in this tiny block is massive over-development," Grant argued. "3,300 homes here would create a concrete jungle, 3,300 homes would sound the death knell of Ordsall as we know it now."
Despite these concerns, Councilor Mike McCusker, the council's lead member for planning, supported the proposal and moved for its approval. He emphasized the urgent local need for housing solutions, particularly affordable options. "660 affordable houses is a huge amount that will have a massive impact on our waiting list and residents in Ordsall whose kids can't get out the house in their late 30s," McCusker explained, highlighting the local housing crisis affecting multiple generations of families.
The approval represents a significant victory for developers but marks the beginning of what will likely be ongoing community debate about balancing housing needs with concerns about overdevelopment and infrastructure capacity in the Greater Manchester area.
