A new five-storey apartment block could be built in a Salford neighbourhood to bring more ‘affordable’ homes to the area. Plans were submitted to Salford council by the Alderley Group, a company specialised in building affordable homes in the North West. If approved, the scheme would deliver 46 new apartments for ‘older persons’ aged over 55, based on land west of the Stocks Hotel on Manchester Road in Walkden, with on-site car and cycle parking. The application states that there is ‘clear policy support, at a national and local level, for both affordable housing and accommodation targeted specifically at older people.’ Most of the apartments will be one-bedroom, with eight two-bedrooms included in the scheme. The main access to the proposed building will be on the corner of Manchester Road and Bolton Road, with a route from Walkden train station to the south. While the land was once used as a site for businesses and terraced houses, it has been empty ‘for some time.’ It would offer residents the chance to ‘live independently’ within their own property, but with the benefit of an on-site Local Housing Manager during the week. The scheme also includes a shared lounge and garden area to help build a community among those living in the flats. The proposed homes would be managed by Housing 21, a not-for-profit provider of extra care and retirement living for older people. The company operates across the country in 240 local authority areas, managing more than 23,300 properties in total. Salford is facing a housing and homelessness crisis, as the town hall struggles to support growing numbers of people who are not able to find a home. It recently adopted the Greater Manchester Places for Everyone plan, which aims to build thousands of new homes around the region, and drive investment and create new jobs.
