Eccles

Eccles Gateway and the old town hall

Eccles is an historic town within the city of Salford. It dates back to the 14th century when it grew up around St Mary’s Parish Church and is perhaps best known for the famous Eccles Cake.

Eccles has excellent transport links, a strong heritage story, an emerging independent café and retail sector, an active community and voluntary sector and good education provision. However, Eccles has found recent years hard, particularly in terms of job opportunities, housing that doesn’t meet people’s needs, empty shops in the town centre and an overall lack of investment.

It’s now time for change

The Eccles Vision was launched in December 2022 following extensive consultation with the local community, businesses, employers, community groups, schools and voluntary sector – people of all ages and backgrounds with different opinions and ideas about their town.

The three main themes of Eccles Vision are:

  1. For Eccles to be a place to eat, meet, play and work. This is now a great opportunity for Eccles to reinvent itself to give people a reason to spend time in the town centre.
  2. To build on its roots both in terms of heritage and the strong sense of community pride as the town grows into the future.
  3. To create more connections through its excellent transport links and the potential this brings in attracting new residents. This means homes that work better for a wider range of people, a stronger economy and a bright future.

Watch a video of the Eccles Vision

Download the Eccles Vision (Adobe PDF format, 3.4mb)

Latest news

We secured Capital Regeneration Project funding from the UK Government to purchase and demolish Eccles Shopping Centre and the multi-storey car park. Demolition will be done in phases with phase 1 starting in September 2024 until mid-2025.

This will be the start of major change that will transform the town centre. It is a very exciting opportunity but we know that there will be difficult moments along the way. Disruption will be kept to a minimum and businesses outside of this phase will remain unaffected.

Change won’t happen overnight but we are committed to working with local communities to create a town centre that works for existing residents and attracts new people to build a new future for Eccles.

Map of the demolition

Map showing the two phases of the demolition

Photos of Eccles

What are the immediate plans for Eccles?

What is the immediate plan for Eccles Shopping Centre?

The immediate plan is to demolish phase 1 of the shopping centre together with the disused multi-storey car park. You can see the outline of phase 1 on the map on this page. The rest of shopping centre will remain operating for the foreseeable future (at least three years).

Why are Eccles Shopping Centre and Multi-Storey Car Park being demolished?

Eccles Shopping Centre is in a state of disrepair and the multi-storey car park has been closed for a number of years due to safety issues.

During the 2022 Eccles Vision consultation people overwhelmingly told us they wanted to see bold changes in the town centre. The shopping centre and multi-storey car park were described as “unloved, downtrodden and left behind”. The demolition and redevelopment of Eccles Shopping Centre and the disused multi-storey car park were viewed as a priority.

The demolition will give us an opportunity to create a more vibrant town centre that meets the needs of existing residents as well as attracting new people to build a new future for Eccles.

What is the timescale for demolition?

It is anticipated that demolition will commence late summer 2024 and will be completed mid 2025.

How has the purchase of Eccles Shopping Centre and planned demolition been funded?

Funded by UK Government

 

The purchase of Eccles Shopping Centre and demolition of phase 1 has been funded by UK Government and Powered by Levelling Up.

Through this funding programme, Salford City Council was awarded a total of £5.4m as a catalyst to regenerate the town centre and secure a brighter future for Eccles.

 

Powered by Levelling Up

How will this affect the daily life of Eccles Shopping Centre?

I am a current tenant within Eccles Shopping Centre, what are my options?

Whilst the plan for the shopping centre is for it to be demolished, for those outside of phase 1 the immediate future will remain unchanged. Those businesses will be contacted in due course to discuss individual tenancy agreements and plans for the future. Businesses can contact us with any questions or concerns emailing eccles@salford.gov.uk or calling the main council phone number 0161 793 2500 (please choose the option 'Other enquiries') or you can call in to the Eccles Gateway.

What is happening with Eccles Market?

Eccles Market is within phase 1 and the building will be demolished during this period.

The council has been engaging with market traders to achieve a solution that suits the individual needs of the businesses and those discussions are ongoing.

Will I still be able to access and use the shopping centre while the work is taking place?

Yes, demolition will affect the area outlined in phase 1 which will be sectioned off with hoardings to ensure the safety of everybody working and shopping in the areas outside of phase 1.

Every effort will be made to minimise disruption and ensure that shops outside of the phase 1 demolition area are able to trade as usual.

How are you supporting the town centre in the meantime, until new development is delivered?

Eccles Shopping Centre continues to be managed on a daily basis by Workman Facilities Management Ltd.

There is an ongoing programme of events in the town centre which you can get involved in. So far there has been We Live Here art trail, Mystery Bird – a giant illuminated birdcage and a current photography project, Picturing Eccles. You can find out more on this page, get in touch by email and join the mailing list.

Won’t demolishing the shopping centre adversely affect the town?

With more online shopping and post-Covid 19 challenges, towns are changing. We need to think about how Eccles works for people in very different ways: fewer shops, more green and well-designed public spaces, and more leisure choices.

With the demolition, there will be short-term disruption and changes to the shopping offer in the town centre. But as views from recent public consultation confirm, there is a desire to repurpose the town centre and look at a complete transformation of the area.

This means in the longer term the creation of a more vibrant town centre where people can live, meet, work and shop.

Plans for the future

Is there a timeline available for the redevelopment of Eccles town centre?

It is expected that by December 2024 we will have appointed a developer who will take forward the shared Vision for Eccles. Through ongoing consultation and engagement with the community this will be firmed up into a plan for what, where and when change will happen

Based on the current timeline it is estimated that new development will commence late 2026.

See the full timeline

Are there designs and masterplans for what the redeveloped site will look like?

There are no designs or masterplans as yet.

Any new proposals for the future or Eccles town centre will be developed in consultation with residents, businesses, community groups.

How can I find out more?

Public events including information sessions and consultation workshops are planned for the future. You can sign up to our mailing list for updates eccles@salford.gov.uk.

Get involved in a new photography project

Picturing Eccles

This spring we are running a photography project in Eccles and want to invite you to join in!
Eccles has its very own photographer – Paula Keenan, and she is looking for people and groups to be part of Picturing Eccles.

There will be walks around Eccles to learn new photography skills and hear about the heritage of the town, workshops for beginners and more advanced levels.

Paula would also love to hear stories and see photos you have of somewhere or some time that was special to you. Whatever Picturing Eccles uncovers will make up a final celebration this summer 2024.

If you’d like to find out more and get involved contact Paula by emailing picturingeccles@gmail.com

In summary

Change will not happen overnight.

This will be a long process but we are committed to working with local communities to create a town centre that meets the needs of existing residents as well as attracting new people to ensure the town continues to thrive and is a place of opportunity that has a bright future.

Get in touch

You can email eccles@salford.gov.uk or call the main council phone number 0161 793 2500 (please choose the option 'Other enquiries') or you can call in to the Eccles Gateway.

If you would like email updates sign up below.

Sign up for email updates

Downloadable documents

If you are unable to view documents of these types, our downloads page provides links to viewing software.

This page was last updated on 8 March 2024

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