Decision due on 31-storey Anchorage tower

Cole Waterhouse is set to secure outline planning permission for a 290-apartment scheme on a gateway site in Salford Quays.

The developer is aiming to start on site in summer 2020 on the 31-storey building, with Salford City Council’s planning committee recommended to approve the project at a meeting on 14 November.

Along with a mix of one, two, and three-bedroom apartments, the scheme will also include up to 11,000 sq ft of commercial or retail space at ground floor level. Chapman Taylor is the architect.

The outline plans for the development are set to be closely followed by a reserved matters submission by the end of the year or early next year, subject to planning consent, which will provide a more detailed design for the project.

The developer exchanged contracts with COIF Charities Property Fund to acquire The Anchorage, a vacant 21,000 sq ft office in August this year, and initially outlined plans for a 29-storey L-shaped block, before submitting plans for a 31-storey scheme in the following weeks.

The office on the site was formerly home to Barclays but has been vacant for the past 18 months.

Recommending the scheme for approval, planning officers said: “The site is located within the bounds of the regional centre where larger forms and increased densities are encouraged. The proposed development would accord with this basic overarching objective and, in turn, generate social, environmental and economic benefit.

“Whilst the height of the proposed building may exceed that of many surrounding buildings, this is considered to be acceptable in principle. Importantly, an increased height building here would act as a focal point and appropriately mark this entry into Salford Quays.”

The team also includes planner WSP | Indigo; structural engineer Renaissance; M&E contractor Novo; landscape architect Exterior Architecture; and project manager Henry Riley.