PLANS FOR WATERFRONT COMMUNITY ON BANKS OF RIVER IRWELL IN SALFORD UNVEILED

Plans to create a waterfront community of 52 homes on the banks of the River Irwell in Salford opposite the site where a Lancaster bomber crashed in World War Two have been submitted.

The application for the land at Regatta Street and Langley Road is located where there was once Victorian terraced housing but in the mid-20th century it became an industrial site. 

The Lancaster bomber of 106 Squadron based in Lincolnshire crashed into the opposite bank of the river on July 30 1944. The pilot was attempting to crash land in the playing fields beyond after conducting a raid in Normandy to support the Allied invasion of northern France.

J2 Corporation, an investment, development and venture capital company which created the acclaimed Napier Gateway development in Luton has tabled the application.

Included in the plans is a proposal to demolish existing buildings to accommodate 38 three-bedroomed and 14 four-bedroomed properties over three storeys in four blocks.

A mixture of communal gardens, private amenity space and on and off-street parking are also part of the application.

The proposed site is described as an area of brownfield land previously occupied by housing and cotton-finishing mills. 

It is also surrounded by existing housing as well as older industrial units. J2 says it has bought up the separate plots of land which make up the site.

J2’s design and access statement, says:

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“The River Irwell which lies adjacent to the north-east as well as the street frontage on Langley Road to the west are key defining points of the site boundary,”

The company says the site is currently used by residents for additional parking but that ‘large parts of the site towards the river are overgrown with vegetation making it difficult to pass through’.

It went on: “The site has also been improperly used for fly-tipping making navigation through the site difficult and hazardous.”

 

J2 says the site is well-positioned to access the city centres of both Salford and Manchester via a range of transport networks.

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“The site also has good bus accessibility to the economic centres of Salford Quays, Manchester city centre and the universities of Salford and Manchester,” it said.

“The aspirations of the project are not only to address the housing need within Salford and Greater Manchester, but to integrate a scheme of high architectural quality with the potential to establish a connection to the natural features of the site, such as the River Irwell.

“Salford’s waterside is a hidden asset and needs to be unlocked. The scheme will not only help to celebrate and make the river accessible but will integrate the natural features of the river with the proposed outdoor life. The River Irwell’s corridor focal point will be an improved riverside walkway.”