Strategic Planning Background

Adopted Unitary Development Plan

Planning Context

2.1 The city of Salford is 37 square miles in area. It is home to approximately 220,000 people and supports approximately 88,000 jobs.

2.2 The city, on the western side of the Greater Manchester conurbation, stretches from the very heart of the Regional Centre to its rural periphery. It is at the hub of the region's motorway and rail network. The City lies on the northern bank of the Manchester Ship Canal and is bisected by the Bridgewater Canal, which have both been important factors in the City's and the region's growth.

2.3 Salford is a city of contrasts. Its thriving business districts of Central Salford, Salford Quays and the former Enterprise Zones lie within an extensive inner city area, including Ordsall, Weaste, Eccles, Pendleton, Broughton and Blackfriars, which has some of the worst characteristics of social deprivation within the region. Beyond this inner area, suburbs vary from the picturesque village of Worsley on the Bridgewater Canal to the more urban areas of Swinton and Walkden and the outer areas of Irlam and Cadishead. In turn, these suburbs give way to large tracts of open countryside, much of which is prime agricultural land created from the former moss lands of Chat Moss, Linnyshaw Moss and Clifton Moss.

2.4 Present-day Salford has its origin in the early years of the Industrial Revolution when the construction of the Bridgewater Canal, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway and, more recently, the Manchester Ship Canal, provided a lengthy period of economic and physical growth stretching to the Second World War and beyond. This period saw the establishment of a thriving economy within the city based upon the docks, heavy engineering, chemicals, coal mining and textiles. With this booming economy came a growth in population and the spread of artisans' and employers' dwellings in old Salford and in the outlying towns. In the past 30 years, however, the city's fortunes have changed dramatically. Whilst it is true that the Victorian and Edwardian period created considerable wealth for the city, it has also left Salford with a legacy of problems which it has only recently begun to come to terms with.

2.5 Between 1965 and 1991 the city lost over 49,000 jobs, or more than 32% of its employment base. Several factors contributed to this decline, not least changes in the national and international economies, the introduction of new technology and the concentration of investment in London and South-East. The biggest job losses were experienced in the city's traditional industries and although the service sector expanded during this period, it was unable to compensate for the decline in manufacturing employment. In recent years the overall employment situation in the city has been improved by initiatives such as Salford Quays and the former Enterprise Zones. A considerable proportion of Salford's population continues to work outside the city, particularly in the Regional Centre or Trafford Park, whilst large numbers of people who live outside Salford work within the city. There is, therefore, a close physical and economic relationship between Salford and the surrounding areas.

2.6 The last 30 years or so have also seen a considerable change in the overall appearance of Salford, as the slum clearance programme of the 1950s and 1960s removed row after row of terraced housing to make way for new, predominantly council-owned, housing developments. Today some 34% of the city's housing stock (approximately 33,700 dwellings) is council-owned (significantly more than the national average) and about half of these are tower blocks or maisonettes. Slum clearance and redevelopment, however, have not solved all of the city's housing problems. Some 19% of the current housing stock (18,000 dwellings) was built before the First World War, and the majority require improvement and repair. In addition, many newer council properties built in the 1960s and 1970s, particularly the flats and maisonettes, have not lived up to expectations. Tenant dissatisfaction is reflected by the high rate of void properties and a deteriorating housing stock.

2.7 In common with many other cities, Salford's population has fallen significantly over the last two decades or so. The city's total population has declined by approximately 60,000 (just over 20%), between 1971 and 1991. The loss has been most acute in the inner city areas where slum clearance and outward migration have resulted in the departure of many of the more affluent, more mobile and younger members of the community. However, in the period up to 2001 the city's population is likely to stabilise at around the present level, which reflects the city's increasing ability to meet the needs of those who wish to live and work in Salford.

2.8 The decline of the city's economic base, coupled with extensive clearance, has created significant environmental problems, particularly within the Inner Area. These problems are compounded by social deprivation which stems from long-term unemployment, poor housing conditions, poverty and ill-health. However, housing initiatives such as Trinity and Ordsall and economic initiatives such as Salford Quays and the Enterprise Zones, are beginning to improve matters. Inner city deprivation contrasts markedly with conditions in the more affluent parts of the City like Worsley and Boothstown, where housing is among the best in the region and where high quality open space is largely protected by Green Belt.

2.9 It follows that the UDP must address a wide range of issues which reflect the diverse character of the City. Salford must also be seen and planned as an integral and important part of Greater Manchester and the North-West Region.

2.10 The key issues which the UDP must address, in summary form, are:

• the need to stimulate the local economy, in order to attract and retain jobs;  
• the need to improve all aspects of the city's environmental quality;  
• the need to address the development pressures facing the city's countryside and open land;  
• the need to improve the quality of the housing stock to meet current and anticipated demand;  
• the need to satisfy future demand for new housing in accordance with Strategic Planning Guidance;  
• the need to improve the city's transport network;  
• the need to respond to demographic change and raised expectations.

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This page was last updated on 4 October 2009