Residential to get Chapel Street under way

English Cities Fund will unveil plans for the first phase of new buildings in the Salford Central development area around Chapel Street at a public consultation event next week.

Known for now as Plot E3, the 1.5-acre site between Chapel Street, Islington Way, Barrow Street and Wroe Street, will contain a mix of town houses, apartments, commercial units and a convenience store. Building heights are proposed at six storeys fronting onto Chapel Street falling to three storeys facing Barrow Street. The designs are by Glenn Howells, although no images have been released yet. A planning application is expected to be submitted before the end of this year.

The pre-planning consultation event will be held at Thursday 13 September in St Philip's Church, Wilton Place from 3.30pm to 8pm.

This phase of the new development, part of a much larger programme covering 44 acres, will also see the main facade and distinctive roof of the Bell Tower building retained and refurbished.

Phil Mayall, development director of Muse Development and ECf, a joint venture between Muse, Legal & General and Homes & Communities Agency, said: "This event marks a milestone in bringing new development to Chapel Street and it is a big step towards the wider regeneration of Salford Central.

"We are really excited to share our initial proposals and find out what local residents think. We would very much like to hear people's thoughts and I'd encourage anyone with an interest to come down and get involved."

Across Salford Central – which is made up of two inter-dependent, but distinct areas, Chapel Street and New Bailey – ECf proposes 2.4m sq ft of commercial space, 849 new homes and 390 hotel rooms.