For years Salford has watched the skyscrapers in neighbouring Manchester going up.
The two cities meet at the River Irwell but have ended up with completely different skylines.
That could change next year because of plans to place one of the UK’s tallest buildings at Salford’s Regent Retail Park.
An application to build ten high-rise towers and 3,300 homes is set to be decided by Salford council and could change the city forever.
The biggest building in the lot – up to 273 metres tall or 71 stories – would redraw Greater Manchester’s sky if the plans get the green light.
This is alongside several other schemes taking place in Salford which have left the city on the cusp of major change in 2025.
The Manchester Evening News (M.E.N) takes a look at the big Salford developments in the pipeline for next year.
Regent Retail Park
Henley Investment Management shared a £1-billion scheme in July to bulldoze Salford’s Regent Retail Park and build up to 3,300 homes.
But the plans have faced backlash from hundreds of residents who complained about it to the council, with locals telling the M.E.N in September that the retail park has been a key part of their community for years.
Tina Bateson, 59, from Eccles, is one of those against the plans.
She said in September: “If it goes, it’s just not fair for the people who work and live near here. People who live nearby will be lost, people’s jobs are going to go too.”
Salford MP Rebecca Long-Bailey joined those calls, urging the council to reject the plans, saying it could “exacerbate the housing crisis by excluding lower-income residents” if approved due to the lack of ‘affordable’ housing in the scheme.
The developer said they will replace “almost all” of the existing space for businesses within their scheme if it is approved, and that the plans include a new park and community facilities.
The application was due to be decided this winter but the decision was pushed back to 2025 – setting up a crucial decision for the city’s future.
Salford Community Stadium
Salford council spent most of this year locked in negotiations with Peel to buy the rugby stadium near the M60 in Eccles.
But criticism from the city’s Conservative opposition turned the move into something of a White Elephant in the council chamber.
Once all the democratic hurdles were jumped over, a £7.7-million agreement was reached and signed in December.
Salford Mayor Paul Dennett announced the deal was complete in December.
The move gives the council control over the stadium and land around the ground, much of which is already being sold off to developers in a bid to attract investment to the area and create new jobs.
With the council revealing in August that it is facing a £6.8-million budget gap next year, the cost of the deal is certain to rear its head in future debates.
Talks are also underway about a potential Metrolink expansion to the ground from the Trafford Centre to create more transport options to the stadium.
All of this is set to bring huge changes to the area around the stadium in 2025 as the council looks to ‘sweat the asset’ and help secure the future of Salford Red Devils who call the ground home.
Salford Quays expansion
This year saw the approval of plans for a huge expansion of MediaCity.
The iconic Salford neighbourhood is set for a revamp with regeneration proposals set to see 3,000 new homes built and 800,000 sq ft of commercial space across 60 acres of land.
Designs include a waterfront focal point inspired by Oslo in Norway and Australia’s Darling Harbour.
But some in the area worry that expansion is happening too quickly.
Local Lib Dem councillors warned in July that Salford Quays is becoming a “supercity” without enough public services.
They say developments taking place around the area, such as plans at Regent Retail Park, Soapworks, and Cotton Quay, could add further pressure.
How it all pans out will be a major part of Salford’s story in 2025.
Salford Rise
A massive cycling and walking route is being built in the city known as Salford Rise.
The 11-metre wide and 220-metre long bridge across Frederick Road will become an instant landmark once ready, and has been described as a ‘safe haven’ for pedestrians and cyclists navigating the city.
It is part of a £2.5 billion regeneration scheme in Salford Crescent, which will see a total of 3,000 new homes built as well as new offices based around Salford University.
The new bridge is set to become a huge landmark in the city.
Salford Mayor Paul Dennett said the work will be “transformational” for the way people get around and live in the city.
He added: “Salford Rise will better connect our communities to the Crescent and University campus and provide transformational change across Crescent Innovation, helping to unlock world-class innovation-led research and development opportunities that Salford residents and businesses can benefit from.”
Buile Hill Mansion
Buile Hill Mansion has been sitting empty for 20 years but could finally be about to reopen.
Work to restore the grade II-listed building is nearly finished, and will see it open its doors again in 2025 after a £7 million renovation.
It will have a new café bar and function room, as well as a heritage and community meeting room, alongside offices for the city council’s registry staff.
Improvements include new accessibility features such as disabled access ramps, along with a lift and an external enclosed staircase.
A Salford council report stated spring 2025 has been marked as the target date for wedding bookings to begin for later in the year.
New co-living towers
A co-living tower was given planning permission this year and is set to move forward in 2025.
Developer PL North Bridge got permission from the council to build a 42-storey tower block on Gorton Street in the city centre.
It will provide 568 studio apartments along with a cafe and co-working space, spa and yoga areas, a podcast room, and outdoor terrace.
The concept encourages residents to interact with each other, with dedicated space for communal living.
Salford’s first co-living development was approved this year.
Bosses behind the scheme say the model is based on existing co-living developments in ‘high demand’ cities such as New York and Berlin.
But one councillor branded the concept “Orwell’s 1984” and claimed it would lead to people living in a “shoebox.”
Plans for another co-living tower were submitted in December based on the corner of south Langworthy Road and Eccles New Road, next to Langworthy Metrolink stop.
New neighbourhood around a park
Planning permission was granted this year for a new neighbourhood based around Clarendon Park.
Nearly 500 new family homes will be built as part of this regeneration work south of Churchill Way, in an area of Salford which is ‘dominated by apartments’.
Land will be sold by the council to Lovell Together LL to get the work started. More than 300 of these homes will be two, three or four-bedroom houses, with the rest set to be one or two-bed apartments.
Around 140 will be designated as ‘affordable’ housing, with 86 for social rent.
Coun Tracy Kelly, Salford’s housing lead, said getting the plans over the line was “fantastic” news for the city.
She added: “This all fits in with our plan to provide the affordable and social homes which local people need and deserve.”
New homes next to RHS Bridgewater Garden
Plans to build 295 new homes next to the RHS Garden Bridgewater sparked a huge row this year.
More than 1,600 people complained to the council about the plans and demanded the scheme by Peel Land be rejected.
Residents in nearby Boothstown such as Carolyn Radcliff told the M.E.N in June that the town can not cope with any more traffic or people.
She said: “There’s standstill traffic all the time. There’s not enough local services for us. It’s nice having green spaces around, if they build on every speck of land what will people do? It’s going to be a nightmare.”
The plans were due to be decided this year but have not come up at planning yet – setting up 2025 as the time when it could move forward.