Plan for 3,200 Quays homes divides opinion

Some fear there are too many apartments and not enough family homes, writes Local Democracy Reporter Nick Jackson

- Nick Jackson

PLANS to expand MediaCityUK and Salford Quays with thousands of new homes have been met with excitement but not everyone is happy about the proposals.

Around 3,200 more homes, 300 new hotel rooms and 800,000 sq ft of commercial space could be built as Salford city council's cabinet is expected to approve the development next week.

Peel Media and major investor Landsec are revamping and amending previously approved plans dating back to 2016. Salford Quays is already home to 1.4million sq ft of offices and upwards of 1,100 homes.

The formerly desolate docklands were once the spine of the city's economy.

But now, a report to the cabinet says the amount of future commercial space planned has increased by 375,000 sq ft from 430,000 sq ft to 807,000 sq ft in the new plan. The number of homes will rise by 1,987 from 1,213 to 3,200. Around 90,000 sq ft of retail and 300 hotel rooms are also planned. When the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) visited the Quays we spoke to Jack Ozturk, a 20-year-old student enjoying an al fresco coffee. Jack lives in nearby Eccles, but is a regular visitor to MediaCity.