Reform snaps up Salford resi site 

The Manchester-based developer has acquired the former Adelphi Lads Club from Knightbridge Investments for £1m, prior to the site going under the hammer. 

SDL Auctions had listed the half-acre site for sale with a guide price of £900,000, but Reform Developments lodged its seven-figure bid before the auction took place. 

“We are thrilled to have secured a site with great potential to contribute to the heart of Salford,” said James Bell, director at Reform Developments.

Located on the corner of Cannon Street and North George Street, close to the Farmer Norton Car Park, the site has planning consent for the construction of 32 apartments in a five-storey block. 

However, Reform will look to rework the consented plans.

“We will be taking a fresh approach, applying careful consideration to the housing needs of the area and welcome contact from contractors and possible partners,” Bell said.

Knightbridge lodged the approved plans in 2017 and finally won approval from Salford City Council earlier this year. The developer agreed to pay £125,000 in Section 106 contributions in lieu of the £467,014 maximum contribution sought by the council due to viability constraints 

Adelphi Lads Club, which was closed in 2008 and was damaged by a fire two years later, would be demolished under the existing application. 

The club was formed in 1888 to give local boys from nearby deprived estates something to do and “hopefully keep them out of trouble”, according to a design and access statement by Howard Seddon Partnership.