A major proposal to replace a retail park with three huge residential towers will go back to the drawing board following intervention by a government department.
Developers lodged plans to build 814 new homes on part of Regent Retail Park, replacing an area currently home to McDonalds, KFC, and a Grosvenor Casino with three new apartment blocks. ‘Riverside Place’, which would feature three towers of 21, 25, and 36 storeys in height, would also include an eye-catching green pavilion ‘designed to accommodate a mix of commercial, retail, hospitality and community uses’ and 6,000sqm of newly created public space.
Bosses say the scheme will create more than 1,000 jobs and £1.7m in council tax revenue to invest locally. They say the development would come with improvements to transport links between Salford Quays and Manchester city centre; better pedestrian and cycle routes; and a landscaped ramp and seating connecting directly to the waterfront.
But a letter from Active Travel England, an offshoot of the Department for Transport, recommended any decision on the scheme should be deferred until further information is provided about how some of those improvements will be made.
A public servant wrote: “The proposals demonstrate positive placemaking ambitions through substantial public realm provision, improved riverside access and reduced car parking levels. The site also benefits from a strategically sustainable location with strong links to Manchester City Centre, public transport services and existing active travel corridors.
“However, notwithstanding these positive elements, the application currently falls short of fully demonstrating compliance with the Active Travel England Planning Application Assessment Toolkit.”
It noted the plans currently only provide around half of the total cycle parking provision relative to anticipated demand and that more detail was required on the active travel improvements.
The section of the retail park, which fronts onto the River Irwell, has long been eyed up for redevelopment. Demolition of the retail park was first approved in 2023, despite pushback from local opposition councillors over a lack of local amenities.
