Developer wins backing for 23-storey Eccles tower

Silverlane’s proposals for the £50m residential scheme in Eccles look set to be approved when Salford City Council’s planning committee meets next week.

Working with architect Jeffrey Bell, the developer submitted plans for the scheme in March this year. The proposals feature 272 apartments in the town centre, split between a main block of 23 storeys, along with smaller four and six-storey blocks.

Ground-floor commercial space, totalling nearly 7,500 sq ft, will face Vicarage Grove, on the approach to Eccles railway station, while a courtyard for residents will also be provided.

Brick cladding is proposed across the blocks with the base of the colonnades at ground floor level to be in a darker grey or black masonry. None of the homes within the blocks are proposed as affordable; this is due to the site being designated as a “mid-value area” by Salford Council, where apartment developments are not required to provide affordable homes.

The plot for the development borders Vicarage Grove and Birkdale Grove as well as the start of Church Street, Eccles’ main retail high street. Current occupiers include a Scape charity shop, Booths furniture, and The Top House pub.

A public consultation on the plans was held in December last year; this received 15 formal responses, most of which were positive, according to the developer’s planning consultant, NJL.

Salford’s planning officers have recommended the scheme for approval when the council’s committee meets next week.

This is subject to a Section 106 agreement including a financial contribution of £60,000 to public realm improvements in the town centre. A clawback mechanism is in place to increase this contribution if the viability of the scheme improves.

Alongside NJL, the professional team also includes Croft Transport Planning; Arcadis as cost consultant; Booth King Partnership as structural engineer; and REC.

According to Companies House, Silverlane Developments is headed up by two directors: Steven Carnes and Gary Illsley. The company was the original developer behind The Residence in Salford, a scheme featuring two towers of 34 and 14 storeys, which is now being built out by Elliot Group.