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Salford council has pushed forward plans to build more “affordable” housing at two locations in the borough.
The council will gain advantages of almost £600,000 of investment from the Combined Greater Manchester Authority for works at the Eccles New Road and Tootal Grove sites.
It will create 35 homes on brownfield land, including 16 move-on homes for people at risk of rough sleeping.
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Both spaces have been “unoccupied for some time” and are “in poor condition with hazardous materials discovered” on part of the site, according to a report submitted to the council.
The building permit has already been approved.
The scheme will also take advantage of a £3 million grant from Homes England under the Rough Sleeper Accommodation Scheme and the Affordable Housing Scheme 2021-26.
They will be leased to Dérive, a growth company owned by Salford City Council.
The homeless move-on accommodation to be created as part of the plan has been developed with consultation with a homeless user group at Loaves and Fishes Salford who have influenced the design and layout of the properties.
In September 2023, paintings began at the Eccles New Road site and all 14 homes are expected to be completed in the summer of 2024. Work is expected to begin at the Tootal Grove site in February 2024 and be completed in the summer of 2025.
Councillor Tracy Kelly, Salford City Council’s Housing, Property and Regeneration Member, said: “Affordable supportive housing is rare, but it is a stepping stone to helping others get back on their feet. This is a step in the right direction for others who are between homelessness and resuming their lives.
“As for the other houses, we know they will be welcomed by locals desperate for housing. In 2023, 965 homes were listed on Salford Home Search.
“We currently have over 4,900 households registered on Salford’s housing need list, which is why it is so important that we can provide even more affordable housing.”
Salford is in the midst of a homelessness “crisis,” according to Mayor Paul Dennett, and was forced to turn the construction of a former school into an emergency shelter before Christmas for an increasing number of people who have nowhere to stay.
A council reported submitted about the new affordable housing developments stated that there is a “significant shortage” of affordable homes in Salford, and that homelessness “has been increasing since 2012.”