A new report has revealed nine out of 10 new homes in Salford have been built on brownfield land…
According to a new residential development monitoring report a vast proportion of new homes in Salford are being built on brownfield land.
The report, published by Salford City Council, covers the period 1 April 2015 to 31 March 2016. It revealed that 87.0 per cent of new homes built in the city were on brownfield land, while only 12.1 per cent were built on greenfield.
Additionally, more houses were built than apartments, despite approval being granted for dozens of apartment blocks.
Lead member for planning and sustainable development Councillor Derek Antrobus said: “These statistics show that 1,354 new homes were added to Salford’s housing stock last year with the bulk of development in the inner city areas of Broughton, Irwell Riverside and Ordsall. Only 164 homes were built on greenfield sites.
“Salford needs new homes and we need as many as possible to be built on brownfield sites. This not only eases pressure on green spaces but it means new homes are built closer to existing jobs, schools and shops.
“Government policy does not allow us to reject greenfield development as we could in the past. But 96 per cent of planning permissions which have not yet been implemented are on brownfield sites.
“We want to make sure we use up brownfield land before contemplating significant release of further greenfield sites. As Salford’s population continues to grow, that will be the challenge for the next few decades.
“It is a challenge we must address today if tomorrow’s generation is to have enough homes to live in.”
Brownfield has formed part of the government’s strategy to get more homes built. The land is often disused commercial or industrial that is brought back into use for residential means.
According to the data Salford saw 1,084 new homes built last year. A total 270 properties were converted into housing, which brought the new home stock up to 1,354.
The report showed 237 homes were demolished in the city, while 19 were converted from housing into other uses. This reduced the stock by 256, leaving a net increase of 1,098 homes in the city.
Some 755 one to four or more bedroom homes were built, while 599 were one to three or more bedroom apartments.
Currently, some 2,560 properties are under construction. Only 134 are on greenfield and 180 brownfield conversions are taking place.
Construction is ready to start on over 6,600 homes, with a further 3,909 receiving full planning permission and 4,012 given outline permission on sites were construction has not yet started. Greenfield sites total 535.