Ralli Quays revamp and Little Hulton school green lit in Salford 

A 212,000 sq ft office and a 280-bedroom hotel opposite Spinningfields and a 62,000 sq ft Star Leadership Academy have been granted planning approval. 

Ralli Quays 

The plans will see the demolition of the existing buildings. Credit: via planning documents

Developer: Legal & General Investment Management  

Planner: DPP Planning Services 

Architect: EPR Architects 

The scheme will see the 80,000 sq ft Ralli Quays demolished and replaced with a 16-storey hotel and a 12-floor office. 

At Thursday’s planning meeting, Salford City Council voted to approve the development in line with officers’ recommendations despite objections against the stopping up of a riverside pathway. 

At present, a path along the River Irwell can be accessed from Stanley Street via steps but the path itself is narrow and in poor condition. 

LGIM’s proposed redevelopment of the site would result in the loss of the pathway, a point that has angered some individuals. 

Dr Morag Rose said closing the path to the public amounted to “gentrification and social cleansing” as the path is sometimes used by homeless people. 

“Enclosure is not a compassionate or appropriate response to homelessness,” she said. “Our Irwell should be for everyone. Please don’t allow it to be annexed.” 

Despite these concerns, the plans were passed.  

The project team for Ralli Quays includes Turner & Townsend as project manager, DPP Planning Services as planning consultant, Walker Sime as quantity surveyor and Hannan Associates is providing M&E Services, Sustainability & BREEAM Consultancy. 

Clancy Consulting is structural engineer, WSP is advising on transport and Hyland Edgar Driver is the landscape architect.    

Star Leadership Academy 

Around 100 staff would work at the Star Leadership Academy, Salford. Credit: Ares Landscape Architects

Developer: Wates Construction and Star Academies  

Planner: Avison Young 

Architect: Sheppard Robson 

Out of the city centre, Salford voted to approve plans for the 62,000 sq ft Star Leadership Academy in Little Hulton. 

Wates Construction will build the two-storey secondary school on six acres to the west of Longshaw Drive.  

The brownfield site was formerly the home of Hulton High, which was demolished in 2009. The site has been vacant since. 

Capable of teaching 750 students, the school is part of the government’s Free Schools Programme. 

Free schools are funded by the government but are not controlled by the local authority. Star Academies, which runs 19 secondary schools across the country, will operate the new building. 

As part of the plans, the school would have a hard-court multi-use games area, all-weather pitch, and sports facilities.  

Star Leadership Academy, Salford is one of six schools Wates has been contracted to build for the Department for Education.

Dave Saville, regional director for Wates Construction North West, said: “Education will always be an enormous part of our business, not just in terms of building new schools but also our commitment to inspire young people about careers in the built environment. We now look forward to getting on site and creating a lasting impact for the Little Hulton community.

“This approval rewards for the tireless efforts of everyone involved in getting the scheme to this point, including the DfE and Star Academies, the Wates team and our design and supply chain partners, as well as the Salford City Council and statutory bodies who engaged with us throughout.”