Bellway refused in Salford 

The housebuilder is being forced back to the drawing board after its plans for 135 homes on the site of the former British Vita factory on Seaford Road were rejected over flooding concerns. 

Salford City Council planning officers concluded Bellway “has failed to demonstrate through circumstantial evidence that the proposed development would not lead to a risk of flooding elsewhere”. 

Officers added that if the development was approved it could increase the risk of flooding to 50 neighbouring properties along Blandford Road and Welford Street. 

The 5.3-acre site is located close to the River Irwell.  

Bellway submitted its plans for the Salford scheme last October. It planned to demolish the vacant industrial buildings on the site, which were previously used by industrial plastics manufacturer British Vita. 

The factory, located opposite the IQ Student Quarter and close to Peel Park, closed in 2009 and has been vacant since. 

The housebuilder proposed creating a mix of two-, three, and four-bedroom houses, as well as one- and two-bedroom apartments across two blocks facing Seaford Road.  

WSP is the planning consultant and Astle Planning & Design is the architect.  

A similar proposal from housebuilder Countryside was withdrawn in 2019 after Salford City Council planning officers criticised the plans for a lack of local contributions.  

Plans for a six-storey student accommodation block comprising 412 bedrooms next to the British Vita site were put forward by developer Gather Properties last year.  

The student scheme was designed by AHR Architects and no decision has yet been made on the plans.