Salford takes the co-living plunge with Progressive Living towers
The 568-studio Enclave Salford won city councillors’ approval today, making it the first co-living project to secure a green light in the city.
Co-living is a residential concept with smaller living spaces offset by increased amenity space, which is meant to bolster a sense of community.
Progressive Living Developments has been working on two co-living towers in Salford’s Greengate Regeneration Area for years, recruiting BDP to design the 42-storey and 39-storey residential complex
The approved project sits off Gorton Street and will comprise 568 studio flats between 226 sq ft and 376 sq ft.
Residents will have access to 26,500 sq ft of communal space, including lounges, a cinema room, a cooking and dining area, a gym, a wellness centre, a coworking area, a games room and makers space, and meeting rooms.
The tower is just the first part of Progressive Living’s ambitions for the former car park site and its adjacent railway arches. The developer wants to transform the arches into a food and drink hub.
Progressive Living director David Fairclough said: “Our vision for Gorton Street remains committed to the positive contribution to Salford’s wider regeneration strategy for Greengate, and the delivery of a high-quality co-living scheme that will offer a more affordable accommodation option for young professionals wanting to live in the city centre.”
Fairclough continued: “We have spent the last five years researching and developing our co-living model with our partners, and are delighted that Salford City Council have worked with us and embraced those principles to deliver the first co-living scheme in Salford.
“Building sustainable communities is key for us and this carefully considered complex will ensure that residents have access to an array of communal spaces that will enable them to connect with others, and support their wellbeing.”
Transforming nearby railway arches into food and beverage offerings is part of Progressive Living’s wider plans for the site. Credit: via Nutshell Communications
Turley was the planning consultant for the scheme. Senior director David Diggle chimed in with a defence of the co-living concept: “Co-living is an emerging accommodation product which is seeking to respond to the changing residential habits of society. Co-living of this type, and in this location, will improve the city’s overall offer and appeal, as well as much needed further choice in this dynamic city.”
Salford City Council’s positive verdict for Enclave Salford was described as “a significant contribution to the ongoing development” of Greengate by BDP architect director Mike Hitchmough. He added that “…the building is an exemplar of modern city living and mixed-use development. We are very excited to see it come to fruition.”
In addition to BDP and Turley, the project team for Enclave Salford includes Renaissance, Zerum, OFR, Eddisons, Novo, Exterior Architecture, ERAP, Hydrock, and Hann Tucker.
You can learn more about Enclave Salford by searching application reference number 23/82208/FULEIA on Salford City Council’s planning portal.
£1,500 pcm for shared washing facilities is not something I’d be on board with.
By Anonymous
Why plunge? Very disrespectful to everyone involved. It’s a very serious and considered proposal by a company with a long track record of delivering this type of scheme.
By Anonymous
‘Plunge’ isn’t disrespectful, to me it doesn’t have negative connotations. Think that’s an overreading.
By NJ
@Anonymous 7.33pm – Progressive Living have delivered one scheme in Manchester which was a 64 unit residential (not co-living) development. Hardly “a long track record of delivering this type of scheme”.
By Anonymous
Smaller living spaces. With the raised awareness of mental health over the last five years, have we learned nothing in terms of design?
This is basically smaller living spaces means more rooms, means more cash for the devoper. This approach will back fire at some point.
By Darren
Having lived around Greengate many years ago all of this new development including the arches is incredibly welcoming, a stones throw from the arena and Victoria it has so much potential for activation.
By CityCentre
Wasn’t the blueprint for high rise “co-living” flats – with an accent on community – tried in the 1960’s? And look how successful it was.
By Anonymous
Anonymous 10.29am – exactly – no track record at all. The only Co-Living scheme operating at scale in the city centre is the Union scheme in St Johns delivered by the Vita Group. Maybe an article on that scheme would be good.
By Anonymous
We have written about Union multiple times, most recently when it opened.
By Julia Hatmaker
This development sounds ideal for old people who want to down size and reduce their Council tax burden .
By Paul Griffiths
co-living = over priced bedsits
By Anonymous