Castle Irwell phase one lined up for consent
Plans for the first 157 homes of Salboy’s redevelopment of the former Castle Irwell Student Village site in Salford are expected to be approved this week, as main contractor Domis begins preparatory work.
The whole scheme is planned to deliver 500 homes on the the 36-acre site off Cromwell Road and Littleton Road, bounded by the River Irwell.
Developer Salboy bought the land for around £15m last November from the University of Salford.
The first phase would provide a mix of two-, three- and four-bedroom houses, which the developer expects to complete by the middle of next year subject to Salford City Council approving the application.
Two additional phases of 110 and 233 homes, comprising a mix of houses and apartments, will follow. There is also provision for a school on the site as part of outline plans signed off in June.
Euan Kellie Property Solutions is the planning consultant for the development, which will also feature a three-acre green space with a play area at the centre. Calderpeel Architects designed the scheme and Layer.studio is the landscape architect.
The first phase of homes are due to complete next year subject to approval
SK Planning and Renaissance are also on the project team as transport consultant and civil engineer respectively.
Salboy submitted its first application for Castle Irwell in April – to restore and convert the turnstile building at the Cromwell Road entrance to the site into offices and marketing suites for the developer and Domis.
Once the residential part of the scheme is complete, there is scope for the former turnstile to be used as commercial space.
The site was home to a student village for more than 50 years before closing in June 2015. Many of the buildings were destroyed in a fire the following year.
Prior to being a student village, the site was home to Manchester Racecourse in the mid-1800s and then again from 1902 to 1963. The final race held at the venue was won by Lester Pigott.
Salford University bought the site for £43,000 in 1973.
The former student village closed in 2015
