Salford set to approve Peel housing plans

PEEL is expected to gain outline planning permission for 350 houses on Salford farmland tomorrow.

Salford City Council will consider its plan for 350 homes on land at Burgess Farm in Walkden and the matter is recommended for approval despite strong opposition from local residents.

Peel wants to build the homes on a 45-acre site off Hilton Lane, but is promising 20 acres of park land and open space. Around 20% of the homes will be “affordable”, says Peel.

Opponents say the development will remove scarce green space and put extra pressure on local infrastructure, particularly the road network.

More than 200 letters have been sent to the council objecting to the scheme and Salford MP Barbara Keeley is also opposed.

However, in a report prepared ahead of the meeting the council said: “It is considered that the scheme would deliver positive benefits in relation to housing provision of the type proposed, the inclusion of affordable housing, the improvements to open space and improvements to wider ecology outweigh the negative impacts of development of a ‘greenfield’, the loss of farm land (albeit of a low grade) and the possible impact upon terrestrial habitats of Great Crested Newts.”