Part of Salford’s green belt has been released to build ‘top end of the market’ homes.
The site, known as ‘East of Boothstown’, has lost its green belt status under the Greater Manchester Places for Everyone scheme, with an allocation of 300 homes on the land.
Salford council was the first town hall in the region to adopt Places for Everyone – which aims to build 28,000 homes in the borough by 2039.
A planning application has been submitted this week for 26 homes on the patch of land east of Boothstown, based on the derelict Booths Bank Farm off Leigh Road.
The application states that the homes are ‘targeting the top end of the market with the intention of attracting and retaining highly skilled workers within Greater Manchester.’
Plans for the area include keeping Alder Wood and other areas of mature woodland and protected trees, and ‘enhancing the ecological value of Shaw Brook.’
The site is located near the RHS Garden Bridgewater and houses in the scheme are set to have ‘large’ front and back gardens and a central woodland play space, with bosses also planning to improve connections to transport on Leigh Road.
A culvert will be removed as part of the plans to turn Shaw Brook into a ‘central landscaped feature that can be both utilised and celebrated.’
Planning documents state that discussions over the number of affordable homes in the scheme are ongoing.
Building on the green belt has proved controversial in Worsley, with residents and councillors campaigning against previous proposals to build on released land.
An application by Peel Land to build 300 homes in Worsley last year saw more than 1,000 residents submit objections to Salford council.
Locals in Boothstown told the Manchester Evening News in June that the village would struggle to cope with an influx of people and cars.