URBAN SPLASH
Developer Urban Splash won 43 awards last year and now Tom Bloxham can boast that he's won a MARY to add to that collection.
At this moment the Salford Beach project looks, er, well beached. A Salford Council update in November 2009 stated that "Due to the current market, Urban Splash is unable to progress the proposed redevelopment at the current time" and added that "Following discussions between CSURC (Central Salford Urban Regeneration Company), UV (Urban Vision), SCC (Salford City Council) and the developer (Urban Splash) it has been agreed to cease further work until March 2010 to allow for market recovery."
Do we detect a glimmer of hope for the beach in the future? Er, not quite. A further Salford Council report in December puts "Land bounded by Trinity Way and Springfield Lane (546 dwellings)" on a `List of Dwellings Not Considered To Be Deliverable or Developable' by the year 2027!
It looks like it's goodbye to Salford's artificial Urban Splash beach. But in the meantime, we can console ourselves with the fact that there is already a real beach on the same site by the Irwell, unspoilt by zillions of apartments, shops and offices, and absolutely teaming with wildlife!
It was featured just over a year ago in Costa Del Salford, a short movie shot on a mobile phone, sending up the whole project and well worth seeing…
Ladies and Gentlemen. Please wave your buckets and spades in the air for the winner of The GOLDEN SANDS OF SALFORD AWARD…
URB-A-A-A-N SPL-A-A-A-SH
Applause…
If Tom Bloxham would like to make a speech please fill in the Comments box below