Salford acquires strategic Eccles site for £2.5m
The 35,000 sq ft Charles House falls within the area of the town centre the city council is hoping to regenerate.
Salford City Council has acquired the Eccles office block from MHE Investments for £2.5m.
Landlord MHE Investments appointed Knight Frank to find a buyer for the Albert Street site last year, stating it had the potential to be converted into 300 apartments.
However, Salford City Council will demolish the building as part of its wider vision for Eccles. The site backs onto Eccles Shopping Centre, which the authority took control of in late 2022, purchasing the 180,000 sq ft complex from Columbia Threadneedle for around £4.15m.
Salford plans to appoint a development partner later this year to bring forward the wholesale regeneration of its Eccles land holdings.
Demolition of 66,000 sq ft of vacant retail units within the shopping centre to pave the way for the first phase of the project is underway.
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Paul Dennett, Salford City Mayor, said: “We’re committed to the redevelopment of Eccles town centre as a key priority for the city council and a much-needed outcome for residents.
“The purchase of Charles House offers strategic benefits when combined with our adjacent property interests and will enhance the city council’s ability to drive comprehensive redevelopment. This decision is part of our ambitious plan to deliver a new vision for the town centre, a shared vision developed with the community and focused on re-establishing Eccles a vibrant town centre where people can eat, meet, and play.”
Cushman & Wakefield and Mills & Reeve advised the council on the deal.
Could you please tell what are they going to build to replace the Shopping centre…thank you..
By Mr Dixon
Salford should be putting public money to better use namely education the elderly
By Eugene McKenna
Is eccles town centre going to have new shops and bars or is it just going to be expensive apartments?
By Jenny
Interestingly, a shared vision for growth with ambitious plans. Regeneration. Growth. New vision All good spin words. Pls share with the community you represent, your vision and timelines for achieving
By Simon
Hi Simon. Here is the timeline https://www.salford.gov.uk/planning-building-and-regeneration/regeneration/salfords-towns/eccles/timeline/ You can read more about the plans in the various articles PNW has published. Best wishes, Dan
By Dan Whelan
No way. It’s going to be a rich guys getto
By Anonymous
Need salford doing up new bus station and a good clean up
By Wendy ward
I lived on Albert street as a teenager before moving to Ellesmere park.. amazing how it’s changed, for the better?? Not sure about that…
By Terry Partington
When is salford precinct getting sorted out its a dangerous place to shop let alone work their
By Anonymous
So, Salford Council buy this place for £2.5m, and then knock it down, spend more money on development, although there is potential to earn money from 300 apartments! Salford has always been a bad council, but this shows their mentality too!
By Colin lyne
Salford council have let Eccles down for years not redeveloping the shopping precinct . It’s not bars and eating places Eccles needs and not more apartments .
Liverpool road from Patricroft to Eccles has had no vibrant shops for years just seems to have lots of barber shops .
By Marsh
Eccles will never be gentrified
By Anonymous
No disrespect l personally think we live here and all the other painting etc were a complete waste of the artist time and money, forgive my ignorance but l would have thought a re developer should have been consulted before all the demolition began.
By A woodcock
Eccles has Bus station,train station and tram terminal it’ makes sense to develop the town
By Anonymous
I think anything to help regenerate the area is a good idea. As per comments below we do need shops and community spaces as well as housing but in essence I think an uplift for the area is great. It would be nice if the opportunity was taken to make the precinct area and it’s surroundings more like a real town centre with streets and services.
By IAN T
I looking forward to the regeneration of Eccles hopefully we can shops and a nice place to go and shop eat and drink and possibly under a roof
By Mark
Just like Salford City council. Buy another white elephant, knock it down, and never rebuild it.
By SammyG
Eccles ‘ a rich guy’s Getto’ (sic) oh please 😎. The millionaire’s are queuing up I’ll bet..everyone will be moving up from Worsley !
By Guy Richie
More apartments more people no shops.😪
By Anonymous
Everyone loves to moan saying that the shopping centre was once amazing. Tbh many of the retailers no longer exist due to administration. It’s just retail all over the UK. At least they can regenerate but the hardest part is the years in between the old and the new.
By Lew
It’s great to see a local authority actively working hard for their communities. Rather than an endless array of cafes and restaurants invest in offering practical skills courses /Apprenticeships to a wider age group. Invest in building homes for rental only, not ” buy to let” with the incentive for the Tenants after 5 years , to have the option of turning the rent that they’ve been paying into a ” Rent/Mortgage option ? How this would pan out would be up to the experienced Professionals to look at other areas around the UK, that have already implemented and utilised local people’s suggestions and practices etc.
By John .
I am a local Eccles resident (I live on Russell Street) and no-one on my street is aware of any consultation. We hope Eccles will, once again, have a vibrant shopping centre – but we have no idea what is planned
By Janet Reygan