Two massive towers of unaffordable apartments, which developer Trinity Riverside Holdings (Bruntwood and Select Property Group) states are "targeted specifically at 22-35 year olds...young professionals", are set to receive planning permission from Salford Council next week, in the process evading £1.242million in planning fees due to the usual `viability' issues.
The two towers, one 35 and the other 17 storeys high, will house a total of 506 apartments near The Lowry Hotel. The Salford Council planning report states that the developer should be paying £2.095million to the city to `mitigate the impacts of the development'.
However, Trinity Riverside will be paying just £853,000 because it has submitted a `viability appraisal' which `shows' that after the huge profit the company is allowed to make – around £17.5million (!) according to the Council's own figures – the scheme wouldn't be `viable'. Almost every developer in Salford is currently putting in figures to show that their schemes won't be `viable' if they had to pay the full planning costs*.
The company will evade £1.242million in these planning fees, with a `clawback' arrangement that it might cough up something in the future, based on another `viability assessment'.
Council planning officers state this is all very acceptable because there's an "enhancement of the public route around the site" ie a path going through it. The `public route' river walkway at the back of the Lowry Hotel was already `enhanced' in 2011, at considerable public cost.
Meanwhile, along this stretch of the river walkway is a statue of Joseph Brotherton, Salford's first MP and the pioneer of vegetarianism. The planning report states that Brotherton will be removed, but doesn't actually give any details of where it's being removed to. Salford Council has history with this Brotherton statue.
According to Wikipedia the statue was erected in Peel Park in 1858, dismantled in 1954 and sold for scrap in 1969... "At the time Salford City Council were looking for any additional revenue and it sold the statue to a scrap metal merchant" the site states "He was aware of the rivalry between the two cities so he approached Manchester with the suggestion they might buy it.
"It was purchased by Manchester City Council in 1986, and was re-sited at Riverside Walk, overlooking the River Irwell and facing towards Salford" it adds "The effect was that he was looking balefully at the city that thought so little of him as to sell his statue."
In 2011 Brotherton came back to Salford with a big fanfare and now, if the application is approved, he will get his marching orders again...
* See also previous Salford Star articles on the ongoing planning scandal ...
Salford Council Disgrace as £4million evaded by developers - click here
New Salford Mayor same old planning scandal - click here
The £19million Planning Scandal - print issue 10 (covers 2015) - click here
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