Many residents in Salford are fighting “tooth and nail” against plans that would see most of Regent Retail Park demolished.
The plans involve knocking down the existing 116,000 sq ft of big box retail to build 3,300 homes on the shopping site.
The homes would be built across 10 buildings and one of those buildings would be the tallest skyscraper in the UK outside of London.
The proposed new homes would be a mix of one, two, and three-bedroom properties, some of which will be “affordable”.
“What’s affordable?” said Christine Hamilton (71) and her husband Alexander Hamilton (73).
“Half of Ordsall people can’t afford the flats and the rents they’re asking for. What’s affordable?” said Christine.
The pair from Ordsall said their children have had to move out of the area they grew up in due to a lack of housing affordability. They’re both firmly against the proposals and plan to write a letter to the council/developers while the public consultation is underway.
“We’ve got till August 26 to say what our objections are and we will do,” Christine said.
“It’s not going to happen in our lifetime, we’re not going to see it, but it’s still the future for our kids,” said Alexander.
As well as new homes, the redevelopment would also see five acres of public open space and 10,000 sq metres of community and commercial space. However for some residents, this isn’t enough.
“I’m totally against this, it’s a disgrace,” said Leslie Valentine (73) who lives near Deansgate but visits the close-by shopping park every week.
“It’s a disgrace because this is the only proper shopping precinct that local people have got,” he said. “Being disabled and being a pensioner, where is everyone like me going to do their shopping?
“We want to keep this area the way it is. The people who want to knock it down are not thinking about the public they’re just thinking about how much they can make out of it and it’s a disgrace. “
The developer Henley Investments acquired the site for £16m in late 2020 when the country was still in the grip of the Covid pandemic. The shopping park is currently occupied by shops such as TK Maxx, Home Bargains, and Boots, which many Salfordians seem to rely on.
Tahira Ali (70) from Ordsall, said: “I really like this area because it’s so easy to come here and get whatever you want to get close by.
“I think it shouldn’t be done; I need this area to stay.”
It’s not only the convenience that has many Salfordians favouring Regent Park, it’s the sense of the community it brings too.
“We all know each other, it’s not just a place for shops it’s a place where we can meet each other. It’s a community thing,” said an elderly woman from Ordsall who wished to remain nameless.
“A lot of people just come over here to have a yap and meet people.
“People don’t want them pulling down. You know what, they’re not going to pull them down because we’re not going to let them, I’ll be truthful,” she said.
“I think it’s disgusting what they’re doing and people have to fight to stop this. Salford people aren’t sitting down and letting this happen.
“I’m sick of being trodden on now. If you’re Salford born and bred, which we are, we don’t want all these shops knocking down.”
Henley said the plan is to re-provide much of what will be lost as part of the site’s regeneration.
Warwick Hunter, the managing director of the Henley development, stated that the site on Ordsall Lane would be “just as much for existing residents as the new arrivals who will call it home”.
He claimed: “It will be a district centre that Salford can be proud of that has a real sense of community and a sense of place and is completely part of the Ordsall fabric.”
On the flip side, some residents don’t necessarily want the shops to go but understand the need for more housing in the area.
Olga Pitsilioni (24) from Ordsall said: “I live quite close, so it’s very convenient for me to come here shopping but I believe there is a huge problem with renting at the minute.
“Lots of people have got friends that are moving houses and can’t find an apartment and it’s taking ages for them to move, so I don’t know if this might solve the problem or not.”
One retail worker at Regent Park, who lives in Ordsall but wished to remain anonymous, said the park “needs an update if anything because everything’s tired”.
“You’ve got the likes of Manchester Fort, you’ve got the Trafford Centre, everything else has been built up and this is tired.
“But the problem with knocking it down is that the people in this area need somewhere to shop.”
The Salford Quays Councillor Paul Heilbron said the regeneration plans will “devastate” the local community if they are approved.
Cllr Heilbron said: “Our hope is the majority of these councillors will use common sense and see the application in its current form as totally unacceptable and one that will devastate an already beleaguered community.”
The councillor and the Liberal Democrats have set out their “alternative vision” for the retail park.
Their three main priorities for the vision compromise affordable homes, increased green space and a major rethink on the additional parking and traffic complications that the current plans could create in “an already troublesome area”.
“It is time to re-balance the focus towards the needs of current and future residents, rather than simply on maximising profit,” said Cllr Heilbron.
To view the planning application for Regent Retail Park, type in the application number PA/2024/0962 on Salford City Council’s planning portal.
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