Revised Draft Local Plan, Chapter 12: Housing

Policy H1 - Housing strategy

A wide range of coordinated measures will be implemented to ensure that Salford’s existing and future housing stock fully meets the needs and demands of all sections of the community within attractive neighbourhoods where people want to live.

The key components of the spatial strategy for housing in Salford over the period 2018-2037 are to:

1. Deliver a good supply and mix of new dwellings across the city and within individual developments, in terms of type, size, tenure and affordability, supporting the regeneration of deprived areas and local and sub-regional economic growth;
2. Ensure the provision of sufficient community facilities (such as schools and health services), transport infrastructure and green infrastructure to serve new housing developments and their occupiers;
3. Focus the vast majority of new dwellings on previously-developed land in accessible locations, but with the limited release of greenfield and, through the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework, Green Belt sites in west Salford to diversify the location and type of housing coming forward in the city;
4. Ensure that land is used efficiently in new residential developments in accordance with policy H6;
5. Improve the availability of affordable housing through a combination of public funding, investment by registered providers and developer contributions;
6. Ensure that appropriate provision is made in suitable locations for specialist housing needs such as accommodation for older people, vulnerable people, hostels, sites for travelling people, and student housing;
7. Require that new dwellings are of a high quality, accessible, adaptable, highly energy-efficient, able to meet a wide range of needs and are well-integrated into existing communities, thereby helping to ensure that they can successfully meet housing requirements in the long-term (see policy D7 Housing Design);
8. Promote the use of suitable public sector land assets for housing, attract public funding, and work with developers and landowners to bring forward sustainable housing developments;
9. Implement housing-led neighbourhood renewal schemes with the involvement of local residents, and use compulsory purchase orders where required;
10. Support improvements in the private rented sector, including through the use of landlord licensing and landlord accreditation, and restricting the short-term letting of new apartments in order to ensure that an acceptable level of amenity is provided for longer-term residents;
11. Secure the efficient use of the housing stock by ensuring that new developments are located and designed so as to minimise the potential for long-term vacancies, and by bringing empty homes back into use through a variety of interventions;
12. Improve the quality of the existing housing stock, particularly in terms of meeting and maintaining decent standards across all tenures, and enhancing energy performance so as to minimise fuel poverty and carbon emissions; and
13. Protect the positive character of existing residential areas and the supply of houses, including through controls over conversions, changes of use to houses in multiple occupation, and the redevelopment of existing homes and gardens.

Policy H2 - Scale and phasing of housing development

At least 32,680 net additional dwellings will be provided in Salford over the period 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2037, equating to an average of 1,720 net additional dwellings per annum.

It is anticipated that the rate of housing delivery will be reasonably even across the whole plan period. Nevertheless, there are likely to be significant peaks and troughs in net completions due to changing wider economic and housing market conditions, and depending on when individual large apartment schemes are completed. Consequently, housing delivery is likely to be broadly in the range of 1,150-2,290 net additional dwellings per annum.

If any cumulative shortfall in housing delivery arises compared to the average per annum requirement of 1,720 net additional dwellings then this will be addressed over the remainder of the plan period (i.e. by 31 March 2037).

Policy H3 - Distribution of housing

The approximate distribution of new dwellings to be provided within Salford over the period 2018-2037 to deliver the total requirement of 32,680 net additional dwellings is shown in the following table:

Higher levels of development in individual areas will be permitted where this is consistent with the overall strategy of the plan.

Policy H4 - Type of housing

The approximate mix of new dwelling types required within Salford over the period 2018-2037 to deliver the total requirement of 32,680 net additional dwellings, informed by forecast household type [5] across the city and Greater Manchester, is shown in the following table:

Taking into account the number and type of dwellings that already have planning permission, in order to achieve the above mix it will be important to ensure that new permissions incorporate a significant proportion of houses in appropriate locations.

Individual new residential developments shall contribute to the provision of a broad mix of housing options across Salford and within the local area, ensuring that identified housing needs can be met. This includes:

1. Within City Centre Salford, Ordsall Waterfront, Salford Quays and the other town centres, incorporating ground floor duplexes and other larger dwellings where practicable that enable a wider range of households to live in these locations; and
2. Within the rest of the city, providing at least 80% of the net increase in dwellings in the form of houses, with a lower proportion of houses only being acceptable where:
   1. The proportion of houses, and other dwelling types with at least three bedrooms and private amenity space, is still being maximised as far as possible; and
   2. At least one of the following apply:
      1. It can be clearly demonstrated that the site has distinct characteristics that make a higher proportion of houses inappropriate or impracticable to provide, such as financial viability, flood risk or design context;
      2. The development provides specialist accommodation, such as for older people, or there is a demonstrable need for different types of dwellings; or
      3. The minimum density requirements in Policy H6 can only be met through a higher proportion of apartments.

Definitions

For the purposes of this policy, a dwelling is defined as a self-contained unit of accommodation. Self-containment is where all of the rooms (including the kitchen, bathroom and toilet) in a household’s accommodation are behind a single door and are not shared with other households. A cluster of non-self-contained household spaces at the same address is counted as a single dwelling. Therefore, a dwelling can consist of one self-contained household space, or two or more non-self-contained household spaces at the same address.

Policy H5 - Size of dwellings

A balanced mix of dwelling sizes will be secured, enabling people to access housing with sufficient space to meet their needs and support good health.

Number of bedrooms

The approximate mix of new dwelling sizes required within Salford over the period 2018-2037 to deliver the total requirement of 32,680 net additional dwellings, informed by forecast household type and size [6] across the city and Greater Manchester, is shown in the following table:

In order to achieve the above mix, and to ensure that a good range of homes come forward across the city and within individual neighbourhoods, all developments providing net additional dwellings shall deliver a range of dwelling sizes in terms of the number of bedrooms.

In new developments providing apartments, a minimum of 50% of the apartments shall contain at least two bedrooms. A lower proportion may be permitted where it can be clearly demonstrated by the applicant that smaller accommodation is required to meet an identified local need of acknowledged importance, such as the provision of affordable housing (in accordance with the definition of affordable housing in Annex 2 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) or any subsequent definition), housing for older people or other specialist accommodation.

Space standards

In the following cases, the gross internal floor area of new dwellings shall as a minimum meet the nationally described space standards (or any subsequent standards):

1. All dwellings in new build developments, including dwellings in build to rent schemes
2. Where practicable, having regard to the physical constraints of the existing building, changes of use and conversions

A summary of the nationally described space standards is shown in the table below, and the full standards are at Annex A of this Local Plan.

*Where a 1b1p has a shower room instead of a bathroom, the floor area may be reduced from 39 square metres to 37 square metres, as shown bracketed. 

Garages, balconies, buildings detached from the main dwelling, and communal areas shared with other dwellings, do not contribute towards meeting the minimum space standards. Built-in storage areas are included within the overall minimum gross internal areas.

The nationally described space standards will not be applied to purpose-built student accommodation, hotels, residential institutions (including secure institutions), and dwellings with furnished layouts. Developments that do not meet the minimum space standards because they incorporate furnished layouts will be permitted subject to a condition or planning obligation requiring them to be first occupied and retained in perpetuity as furnished accommodation. For the purposes of this policy, a dwelling will only be considered to have a furnished layout if it incorporates all furniture that is likely to be required by a typical household occupying the dwelling.

When submitting planning applications for residential development where the nationally described space standards apply, including changes of use and conversions where meeting the standard is practicable, the applicant will be required to state the number of bedspaces/occupiers that each dwelling type has been designed to accommodate as well as the number of bedrooms and minimum gross internal floor area (with a separate figure for built-in storage).

Houses in multiple occupation

The nationally described space standards will not be applied to houses in multiple occupation (HMOs). All HMOs shall instead meet the minimum room size and amenity standards set out in the city council’s published guidance for such properties, where practicable having regard to the physical constraints of the existing building.

Policy H6 - Housing density

New residential development shall achieve the minimum densities in the table below:

Lower densities will only be acceptable where they can be clearly justified by: 

1. Local housing market issues, such as a demonstrable need for a particular type of housing that cannot be delivered at a higher density and would otherwise not be met; or
2. Site-specific issues, such as the design context and any potential impact on the wider landscape or townscape including heritage assets.

Policy H7 - Affordable Housing  

A significant improvement in the availability of affordable housing in Salford will be delivered through a combination of public funding, investment by registered providers, and developer contributions, enabling people to find a home at a cost they can afford. The provision of affordable housing at higher levels than the minimum requirements of this policy will be strongly supported.

Minimum affordable housing requirements

All developments that provide 10 or more net additional dwellings, or are on a site of 0.5 hectares or more in size and provide any number of dwellings, shall deliver at least 20% of those dwellings as affordable housing. Within the areas listed in the following table (and shown in Figure 10), such developments shall deliver a higher minimum affordable housing requirement in accordance with that table (or any future update of the table published by the city council in a supplementary planning document in response to changing levels of viability).

For the purposes of this table, mid-density apartment schemes are those comprising fewer than six storeys.

All minimum affordable housing requirements shall be rounded to the nearest full dwelling once the relevant proportion has been applied.

Where there is evidence that a site or development has been artificially split in order to avoid policy requirements by being below the dwelling or site size threshold identified above, in accordance with Policy PC1 the city council will consider whether it would be appropriate to apply the policy requirements to each of the smaller sites individually irrespective of their number of dwellings or site area in order to secure the delivery of affordable housing in accordance with this policy.

Green Belt land is not covered by the value areas, as new housing development within the Green Belt that is in excess of the thresholds in this policy will by definition be inappropriate. If exceptional circumstances exist to justify such development in the Green Belt, then the proportion of dwellings that are affordable must be maximised. The Greater Manchester Spatial Framework removes three sites in Salford from the Green Belt and allocates them for housing. It specifies the minimum affordable requirements for each site, and the relevant value areas for those sites are shown in Figure 10 below.

A reduced proportion of affordable housing from the above requirements may be considered acceptable only where:

1. It has been clearly demonstrated that all practicable options have been exhausted for delivering the minimum affordable housing requirement, including by partnering with registered providers and accommodating affordable homes financed through various sources such as Homes England, investment funds and commuted sums from other sites; and
2. The requirements of criteria i-iv in Policy PC1 have been met.

Tenure of new affordable housing

New affordable housing provision shall deliver the following mix of tenures to ensure that there is a diverse range of new affordable homes that meets the nature of the need within Salford:

A different affordable housing tenure mix from the table above may be acceptable where there is clear evidence this would help to better meet specifically identified local needs and address site-specific circumstances.  The identification of any such need will be informed by discussions with the city council, and registered providers where they are to manage the affordable housing, having regard to the:

1. Choice based lettings data from Salford Home Search [14];
2. Characteristics of the households likely to be allocated to the affordable dwellings;
3. Existing supply of affordable housing in the local area, including the size and type;
4. Characteristics of the site;
5. Scale of the proposed development;
6. Level of local house prices and incomes; and
7. Financial viability of the proposed scheme.

Type and size

Given that there is a demonstrable need for all types (houses and apartments) and sizes (bedrooms and floorspace) of affordable housing, in the first instance the city council will expect that the affordable dwellings shall reflect the dwelling mix across the development as a whole.

A different mix of types and sizes may be appropriate on an individual site where there is clear evidence that this would help to better meet specifically identified local needs and address site-specific circumstances. The identification of any such need will be informed by discussions with the city council, and registered providers where they are to manage the affordable housing, and having regard to criteria A-G of this policy.

On-site and off-site provision

The mechanism for providing the affordable housing shall be agreed with the city council, having regard to local factors and the desirability of delivering mixed communities. In some circumstances this will mean that on-site provision is most appropriate, whereas in other circumstances off-site provision or the payment of a commuted sum may enable the more effective delivery of affordable housing to meet local needs. The value of any commuted sum will be calculated on the basis of the above table, or any subsequent update in a supplementary planning document, and spent having regard to the latest evidence of need.

Design

Within mixed-tenure developments, the appearance of the affordable dwellings shall be indistinguishable from the open market dwellings and shall normally be “pepper-potted”.

Small clusters of up to ten affordable dwellings will typically be acceptable given the practicalities of managing and maintaining units, although larger clusters may be appropriate where:

1. A high proportion of units are affordable; or
2. An identified Registered Provider considers that larger clusters are required to ensure the efficient and effective management of the affordable housing.

All affordable housing shall be designed and built to appropriate and agreed standards.

Delivery

The provision of affordable housing will be secured through a section 106 agreement. This will specify the timing of the delivery of any dwellings and/or payment of commuted sums.

Where a registered provider is involved, the developer shall, unless otherwise agreed, build the dwellings to the specification of the registered provider and sell them to the registered provider at an agreed discount on the sale price. This discount will be based on the projected rental income and the registered provider’s borrowing limits, taking into account location, property type, number of bedrooms, and tenure to be provided.

Engagement

Early involvement of the city council and registered providers in site discussions and design is strongly encouraged, preferably at the pre-application stage, in order to ensure that affordable housing provision will meet relevant requirements and standards.

Definitions

Affordable housing is defined in Annex 2 of the 2018 National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

Affordable housing shall include provisions to remain at an affordable price for future eligible households or for the subsidy to be recycled for alternative affordable housing provision.

The requirement for affordable housing set out in this policy applies to all types of self-contained residential development including retirement dwellings, and also to co-living developments. In build to rent developments, affordable housing shall be provided in accordance with Policy H8. In purpose-built student housing developments, affordable housing shall be provided in accordance with Policy H11. Other housing that is not in the form of individual units of self-contained accommodation, as may be seen for example in care homes and nursing homes, will not be required to provide affordable housing.

Policy H8 - Build to Rent

The development of build to rent schemes will be supported, particularly in City Centre Salford, Salford Quays, Ordsall Waterfront and town centres, subject to:

1. The whole development being under common ownership and management control for the long term;
2. Operators offering tenancies of three or more years to all tenants, with tenants having the option to terminate at one month’s notice, after the first six months, without a break fee being payable;
3. Being provided in accordance with the space standards in policy H5 in the case of non-furnished developments; and
4. Consistency with the need to deliver a broad range of tenures across Salford and within individual areas, including owner-occupied dwellings.

All build to rents schemes on sites of 10 or more dwellings, or having an area of 0.5 hectares or more irrespective of the number of dwellings, shall provide a minimum of 20% of the dwellings in the form of affordable private rent, with these dwellings being:

1. At a rent that is at least 20% less than the private market rent (inclusive of service charges) for an equivalent dwelling;
2. Maintained as affordable private rent in perpetuity;
3. Distributed throughout the development and physically indistinguishable from the market rent homes in terms of quality and size; and
4. Occupied by eligible households having regard to household income levels and local rent levels;

Changes of use of existing buildings to uses that are similar in nature to build to rent, such as from purpose-built student housing, will be expected to comply with the above affordable housing requirements.

The change of affordable private rent dwellings to another tenure will be permitted only where:

1. It is clearly impracticable to retain the dwellings in affordable private rent, for example because the build to rent development is being converted to owner-occupation; and
2. The full value of the subsidy for the affordable private rent dwellings is paid as a commuted sum to the city council for reinvestment in the provision of affordable housing.

Policy H9 - Housing land supply

A diverse supply of residential development opportunities will be made available in order to meet the identified housing needs set out in this Local Plan.

Residential development will be directed towards previously-developed land, with a target that at least 80% of new homes should be on such land.

The residential development of previously-developed sites not specifically allocated for housing will be strongly encouraged where this would be consistent with other policies in this Local Plan, including in terms of not resulting in a shortage of land and premises for other important uses such as employment.

The following sites are allocated for housing, with further requirements for each site set out below:

• H9/1 - Land west of Hayes Road, Cadishead (5.9 hectares)
• H9/2 - Castle Irwell, Irwell Riverside (13.3 hectares)
• H9/3 - Land east of Langley Road, Irwell Riverside (9.8 hectares)
• H9/4 - Brackley golf course, Little Hulton (26.0 hectares)
• H9/5 - Land at Ladywell Avenue, Little Hulton (1.1 hectares)
• H9/6 - Land south-west of Hilton Lane, Little Hulton (6.9 hectares)
• H9/7 - Land west of Kenyon Way, Little Hulton (5.7. hectares)
• H9/8 - Land at Orchard Street, Irwell Riverside (10.1 hectares)
• H9/9 - Land south of the Church of St. Augustine, Pendlebury (2.8 hectares)
• H9/10 - Land south of Hill Top Road, Walkden North (1.7 hectares)
• H9/11 - Land south of Moss Lane, Walkden North (2.3 hectares)
• H9/12 - Land north of Lumber Lane, Worsley (3.8 hectares)

The following sites are allocated for open space together with enabling housing development, with further requirements for each site set out below:

• H9/13 - Duncan Mathieson playing fields, Claremont (11.6. hectares)

The following small sites are allocated for housing:

• H9/14 - 91 Barton Lane, Barton (0.2 hectares)
• H9/15 - Cleggs Lane Mill, Seddon Street, Little Hulton (0.4 hectares)
• H9/16 - Land at the corner of Langworthy Road and Eccles New Road, Ordsall (0.2 hectares)
• H9/17 - Land to the south of Asgard Drive and east of Ordsall Lane, Ordsall (0.2 hectares)
• H9/18 - Land to the west of Ordsall Lane and north of West Park Street, Ordsall (0.3 hectares)

In addition, the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework allocates the following sites for housing:

• GM Allocation 30 - Land at Hazelhurst Farm (15.7 hectares)
• GM Allocation 31 - East of Boothstown (29.0 hectares)
• GM Allocation 32 - North of Irlam Station (65.1 hectares)

Policy H9/1   Land west of Hayes Road, Cadishead (5.9 hectares)

The site will be developed for around 200 dwellings, indicatively comprised of 165 houses and 35 apartments.

Development shall

1. Provide a high quality green infrastructure buffer and public amenity spaces along the southern edge of the site, presenting an attractive setting for Cadishead Way and enhancing opportunities for wildlife, including pollinating insects, to move through the site;
2. Incorporate a suitable buffer and/or a high degree of mitigation along the western edge of the site to ensure that its residents are able to enjoy a high level of amenity unaffected by noise and odour from the adjoining industrial site and to safeguard the future of the industrial site;
3. Incorporate measures to mitigate against potential groundwater flooding and avoid built development within the small area of the site identified as being in flood zone 2;
4. Retain easements for the utilities infrastructure that runs beneath the site;
5. Provide 10 allotment plots, each 125m² in size, within the site; and
6. Ensure that it does not create opportunities for ‘rat-running’ between Liverpool Road and Cadishead Way.

H9/2 Castle Irwell, Irwell Riverside (13.3 hectares)

The site will be developed for around 500 dwellings, indicatively comprised of 400 houses and 100 apartments.

Development shall:

1. Take a comprehensive and coordinated approach to mitigating flood risk from the River Irwell, surface water and groundwater, taking into account the potential impacts of climate change on river flows and avoiding built development in the small area of the site which is identified as being in flood zone 3;
2. Make a positive contribution to the character, environmental quality and public amenity value of the River Irwell, and enhance the waterside walking and cycling route, in accordance with policy D9;
3. Support the improvement of the water environment of the River Irwell, and contribute to the other North West River Basin Management Plan objectives in accordance with policy WA2;
4. Provide an eight metre easement to the River Irwell to allow for access and maintenance;
5. Incorporate high levels of green infrastructure and walking and cycling routes through the site and to the waterside walkway, integrating it into the rest of Charlestown;
6. Provide public amenity space and a play area within the site;
7. Retain existing mature trees in accordance with policy GI7, where practicable;
8. Incorporate active town centre uses at ground floor level on the Cromwell Road and Littleton Road frontages that fall within the defined Charlestown Local Centre;
9. Provide vehicular access to the Castle Irwell changing rooms and the Castle Irwell flood basin;
10. Provide appropriate replacement and/or compensation for the loss of the sports pitches and changing rooms;
11. Set aside land to accommodate additional primary school provision, unless it can be demonstrated that sufficient additional school places can be provided off-site within the local area to meet the likely demand generated by the new housing;
12. Protect and enhance the area’s heritage assets and their settings, including the grade II listed former Co-operative building at 1 Littleton Road, and the locally listed Manchester Racecourse Turnstiles on Cromwell Road
13. Incorporate an information board on the site detailing the history of the former Manchester racecourse and the Turnstiles building;
14. Retain easements for the utilities infrastructure that runs beneath the site; and
15. Investigate the potential to develop a district heating network. 

H9/3 Land east of Langley Road, Irwell Riverside (9.8 hectares)

The site will be developed for around 320 dwellings, indicatively comprised of 250 houses and 70 apartments.

Development shall:

1. Make a positive contribution to the character, environmental quality and public amenity value of the River Irwell, in accordance with policy D9, including through the provision of a waterside walking and cycling route which incorporates high levels of green infrastructure and provides opportunities for the movement of wildlife;
2. Support the improvement of the water environment of the River Irwell, and contribute to the other North West River Basin Management Plan objectives in accordance with policy WA2;
3. Take a comprehensive and coordinated approach to mitigating flood risk from the River Irwell and surface water, taking into account the potential impacts of climate change on river flows;
4. Provide an eight metre easement to the River Irwell to allow for access and maintenance;
5. Mitigate potential impacts from the remaining employment uses along Langley Road;
6. Assess the potential archaeological interest of the site, particularly in relation to its industrial heritage, protecting and recording any remains and, if appropriate, providing interpretation on site;
7. Address ground contamination associated with previous industrial uses and landfill activity on parts of the site; and
8. Retain easements for the utilities infrastructure that runs beneath the site.

H9/4 - Brackley golf course, Little Hulton (26.0 hectares)

The site will be developed for around 690 dwellings, indicatively comprised of 590 houses and 100 apartments.

Development shall:

1. Incorporate high quality on-site recreation facilities, including a play area, 20 allotment plots (each 125m² in size) and public amenity spaces connected to existing public rights of way, and deliver off-site improvements to existing recreation facilities, in order to meet the needs of the residents of the development and to provide full compensation for the loss of the golf course;
2. Provide a linear walking and cycling route along the site’s northern boundary, connected to the existing public rights of way;
3. Mitigate the potential impacts of noise and air pollution from the M61, including through the provision of a significant landscape buffer that maintains a green appearance from that motorway;
4. Retain the semi-improved natural grassland and deciduous woodland around the edges of the site;
5. Make provision for protected species, with great crested newt and bird surveys being required prior to development;
6. Enhance the ability for wildlife to move through the site and into the wider ecological network;
7. Assess the site’s potential archaeological interest, protecting and recording any remains appropriately;
8. Be informed by a water body status assessment in accordance with policy WA2, having regard to the main river to the south-west of the site allocation;
9. Incorporate sustainable drainage systems to mitigate the potential surface water flooding on the site in accordance with policy WA6;
10. Set aside land to accommodate additional primary school provision, unless it can be demonstrated that sufficient additional school places can be provided off-site within the local area to meet the likely demand generated by the new housing;
11. Address issues of contamination and land instability associated with previous mining and spoil tipping activities on part of the site; and
12. Take the primary vehicular access from the A6 Manchester Road West.

H9/5 - Land at Ladywell Avenue, Little Hulton (1.1 hectares)

The site will be developed for around 40 houses.

Development shall:

1. Provide appropriate compensation for the loss of the public amenity space function, through the improvement of other amenity spaces in the local area;
2. Address potential land stability issues associated with previous mining activity on the site; and
3. Retain easements for the utilities infrastructure that runs beneath the site.

H9/6 - Land south-west of Hilton Lane, Little Hulton (6.9 hectares)

The site will be developed for around 200 houses.

Development shall:

1. Provide opportunities for wildlife to move through the site and into the wider ecological network including by:
   1. Protecting and enhancing the ‘Ponds near New Manchester’ site of biological importance (SBI) to the west;
   2. Providing a layout which accommodates opportunities for the movement of wildlife between the site and the ‘Ponds near New Manchester’ SBI, particularly the nature park at the northern end of the SBI; and
   3. Retaining the hedgerows around the edge of the site;
2. Incorporate sustainable drainage systems to mitigate the potential surface water flooding on the site in accordance with policy WA6;
3. Provide 15 allotment plots, each 125m² in size, within the site;
4. Ensure appropriate noise mitigation from the railway immediately to the north of the site;
5. Address potential land stability issues associated with previous mining activity on the site; and
6. Retain easements for the utilities infrastructure that runs beneath the site.

H9/7 - Land west of Kenyon Way, Little Hulton (5.7 hectares)

The site will be developed for around 150 houses.

Development shall:

1. Be designed to be well-integrated with the existing neighbourhood to the east;
2. Provide opportunities for wildlife to move within and through the site, including by retaining and enhancing the deciduous woodland and brook which runs along the site’s western boundary and compensating for any loss of habitats through improvements to the adjoining Cutacre Country Park and Ponds North of Cleworth Hall site of biological importance;
3. Provide public amenity spaces and high quality walking and cycling routes through the site, connecting existing neighbourhoods to Cutacre Country Park and linking into existing public rights of way;
4. Be informed by a water body status assessment in accordance with policy WA2;
5. Take the primary vehicular access from Kenyon Way;
6. Address potential land stability issues associated with previous mining activity on the site; and
7. Provide appropriate mitigation for any potential noise pollution from the employment areas to the north-west.

H9/8 - Orchard Street, Irwell Riverside (10.1 hectares)

The site will be developed for around 470 dwellings, indicatively comprised of 370 houses and 100 apartments.

Development shall:

1. Focus on the provision of medium density houses, with the potential for higher densities including in the form of apartments towards Broughton Road;
2. Retain the mature trees along the southern boundary and add further planting along this boundary to create a continuous corridor along it to help improve the ability of wildlife to move through the site;
3. Provide public amenity space and 10 allotment plots (each 125m² in size) within the site;
4. Protect and enhance the surrounding heritage assets, their settings and views of them, particularly the Grade II listed former Pendleton Cooperative Industrial Society Buildings at 19 and 21 Broughton Road, the Grade II listed Tower of Church of St George with St Barnaby, and the locally listed Cheltenham Buildings on Cheltenham Street, 2- 10 Cobden Street, and Kingston Mill on Cobden Street;
5. Assess the site’s potential archaeological interest, protecting and recording any remains appropriately;
6. Protect the line of the Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal that lies along the southern boundary of the site, incorporating walking and cycling routes along it;
7. Support the relocation of the existing non-waste-related businesses and facilities within the local area;
8. Incorporate appropriate mitigation for noise from the rail line and nearby employment uses, and odour from nearby waste management; and
9. Address ground contamination associated with the current and previous uses of the site.

H9/9 - Land south of the Church of St. Augustine, Pendlebury (2.8 hectares)

The site will be developed for around 60 houses.

Development shall:

1. Preserve and enhance the setting of the Grade I listed Church of St. Augustine, the Grade II listed Environmental Institute, and the associated St. Augustine’s conservation area, including by:
   1. Being informed by a detailed heritage impact assessment, which considers layout and the integration of new built development with the heritage assets, opportunities to appreciate the heritage assets from within and through the development site, and details such as scale, height, massing and materials;
   2. Retaining or reorienting the playing field as an open space in its existing location;
   3. Ensuring that dwellings face the church, providing natural surveillance and a high quality frontage to it;
   4. Rebuilding and repairing the boundary wall between the site and the conservation area; and
   5. Retaining and enhancing the public rights of way around the edges of the site;
2. Maximise walking and cycling connections from all dwellings to Swinton Town Centre, Victoria Park and public transport routes;
3. Fund off-site recreation improvements to compensate for the loss of the former bowling green;
4. Protect the ability of wildlife, including pollinating insects to move through the site, connecting to adjoining green infrastructure;
5. Address potential land stability issues associated with previous underground infrastructure on the site;
6. Provide appropriate noise mitigation from employment uses to the north-west of the site; and
7. Ensure that there is no adverse impact on the water quality of the ordinary watercourse to the south of the site.

H9/10 Land south of Hill Top Road, Walkden North (1.7 hectares)

The site will be developed for around 60 houses.

Development shall:

1. Provide opportunities for wildlife to move through the site and into the adjoining Blackleach Country Park and Blackleach Reservoir site of biological importance, including through the retention of the existing hedgerows and compensating for any loss of habitats on the site through improvements to the country park;
2. Address issues of contamination and land instability associated with former mining activity on the site;
3. Incorporate appropriate noise mitigation relating to the employment uses at Barlow Street to the south-west of the site;
4. Take the primary vehicular access from Hill Top Road; and
5. Provide a high quality frontage to Hill Top Lane, helping to present an attractive gateway into Blackleach Country Park.

H9/11 Land south of Moss Lane, Walkden North (2.3 hectares)

The site will be developed for around 80 houses.

Development shall:

1. Incorporate mitigation to address potential noise pollution from the remaining employment uses in the area;
2. Have regard to the notifiable installation located to the north-west of the site;
3. Retain mature trees on the site where practicable; and
4. Improve Moss Lane to the north-west of the site to provide the primary vehicular access, whilst ensuring appropriate provision along it for pedestrians and cyclists.

H9/12 - Land north of Lumber Lane, Worsley (3.8 hectares)

The site will be developed for around 60 houses.

Development shall:

1. Take vehicular access via Hardy Grove, with a new road bridge spanning the recreation route along the former railway line to the south of the site. The bridge should be carefully designed to protect the character and appearance of Hardy Grove, minimise any potential adverse effects on the amenity of residents on Hardy Grove, and maintain the quality and ecological connectivity of the recreation route;
2. Retain public footpaths through the site and provide high quality pedestrian and cycle connections from all parts of the development to the Leigh-Salford-Manchester busway stops and adjacent recreation routes;
3. Provide an eight metre buffer either side of the main river (Kempnough Brook) running through the western part of the site, avoid its culverting, protect its water quality and mitigate any associated flood risk;
4. Take a comprehensive and coordinated approach to mitigating fluvial, reservoir and surface water flood risk and avoid built development in the small area of the site which is identified as being in flood zone 3;
5. Be informed by a water body status assessment in accordance with policy WA2;
6. Address issues of land instability associated with former mining activity on the site;
7. Retain and enhance the pond in the southern part of the site, and the semi-natural broadleaved woodland within and around the site, and incorporate other green infrastructure to maximise opportunities for wildlife to move through and around the site;
8. Preserve or enhance the character and appearance of the adjacent Roe Green/Beesley Green conservation area; and
9. Provide appropriate mitigation for noise and air pollution from the adjacent A580 East Lancashire Road.

H9/13 - Duncan Mathieson playing fields and adjoining open land, Claremont (11.6 hectares)

The site will be comprehensively enhanced for recreation purposes, in order to significantly improve its overall recreation value and use. The site will incorporate outdoor sports pitches, allotments, car parking and a changing pavilion, and the existing scout hut on the site will be retained.

Any floodlighting shall be carefully designed to ensure that there is no significant adverse impact on the amenity of surrounding residents in terms of light pollution.

Some enabling residential development, in the form of houses, will be permitted in order to cross-fund the enhancement of the rest of the site for recreation purposes. This shall be the minimum necessary to fund the recreation improvement of the site, not exceeding 50 dwellings.

Any built development on the site shall:

1. Retain and enhance the existing hedgerows around the edges of the site;
2. Incorporate sustainable drainage features to mitigate the surface water flood risk affecting the eastern part of the site in accordance with policy WA6;
3. Be informed by an assessment of potential fluvial flood risk, and provide an eight metre buffer to the main river located to the south west of site and maintain access through the site to reach the river; and
4. Take the primary vehicular access via Odessa Avenue/Orme Avenue;

Policy H10 - Housing for older people

A broad range of housing choices will be secured for older people in Salford, maximising their ability to live independent lives and retain control over their accommodation and services, including through:

1. Requiring all new dwellings to meet the accessible and adaptable standards under requirement M4(2) of Schedule 1 to the Building Regulations 2010 for England (see Policy D7), except where it can be clearly demonstrated that this is impracticable due to site-specific constraints;
2. Measures that enable people to stay within their existing homes, such as physical adaptations and energy efficiency enhancements; and
3. The improvement of existing, and the development of new, specialist accommodation, including sheltered housing, extra care housing, nursing homes and residential care homes.

New residential accommodation specifically targeted at older people will be supported where it:

1. Is well-integrated with the wider neighbourhood;
2. Offers easy access to community facilities, local services and public transport;
3. Provides sufficient car parking for both occupiers (dependent on the nature of the development) and visitors (see policy A8);
4. Is designed to reflect relevant best practice, including the Housing our Ageing Population Panel for Innovation (HAPPI) ten key design elements [19]:
   1. Space and flexibility;
   2. Daylight in the home and in shared spaces;
   3. Balconies and outdoor space;
   4. Adaptability and ‘care ready’ design;
   5. Positive use of circulation space;
   6. Shared facilities and ‘hubs’;
   7. Plants, trees, and the natural environment;
   8. Energy efficiency and sustainable design;
   9. Storage for belongings and bicycles; and
   10. External shared surfaces and ‘home zones’; and
5. Where appropriate, provides a range tenures.

Given the increased scale of demand, residential developments of over 100 dwellings shall, where practicable, incorporate housing provision specifically targeted at older people.

Policy H11 - Student housing

New student housing in Salford shall be concentrated in the following locations:

1. Within and immediately adjacent to the University of Salford campus at Peel Park/Frederick Road
2. In close proximity to the University of Salford campus at Salford Quays, whilst ensuring that it does not detract from the important business, tourism, leisure and residential functions of the area

The limited provision of student housing elsewhere will be permitted where:

1. It is of a modest scale, not exceeding 100 individual bedrooms/studios;
2. It is located within easy walking distance of either the Peel Park/ Frederick Road or Salford Quays campuses of the University of Salford, or is very close to a public transport stop that has frequent and direct services with short journey times to either campus;
3. It would be well-served by local shops and other services;
4. It can be demonstrated that there is likely to be a demand for the accommodation from students, having regard to, amongst other things:
   1. Occupancy levels in existing student housing developments;
   2. Schemes for student housing with extant planning permission; and
   3. Any proposals for additional student accommodation within and immediately adjacent to the University of Salford campus at Peel Park/ Frederick Road, or in close proximity to the University of Salford Campus at Salford Quays;
5. It can be demonstrated that the accommodation could easily be converted into mainstream housing through post-completion adaptation compliant with other planning policies, in the event that there is insufficient long-term demand for continued use as student housing;
6. It would not have an unacceptable impact, either individually or cumulatively, on the character of the area or the amenity of existing occupiers; and
7. In the case of mixed-use developments, it would be located within separate buildings from other residential uses.

New purpose built student housing schemes on sites of 10 or more bedrooms/studios, or having an area of 0.5 hectares or more irrespective of the number of bedrooms/studios, shall provide a minimum of 20% of the bedrooms/studios in the form of affordable private rent in accordance with the approach set out in Policy H8 (Build to rent). The affordable bedrooms/studios shall be allocated through a nominations process agreed with Salford City Council and the University of Salford.

Policy H12 - Gypsies, travellers and travelling showpeople

Land off Duchy Road, Irwell Riverside (allocation H12/1) is allocated for gypsy and traveller use, providing around 35 pitches. The priority will be to address the need for permanent pitches, but the site is also capable of accommodating transit pitches as part of a Greater Manchester network of transit sites.

68 additional plots for travelling showpeople will be provided in Salford. In addition, the relocation of the current Fairways travelling showpeople site in Lower Broughton, which accommodates around 43 plots, will be facilitated due to it being at risk of flooding. Work is ongoing to identify a site or sites to meet the identified need.

New sites to meet the needs of gypsies and travellers and travelling showpeople will be supported where they:

1. Have a lower than 1 in 100 year risk of flooding;
2. Have good access to local facilities and services;
3. Are designed and laid out in accordance with best practice, including making adequate provision for the parking, servicing and turning of vehicles;
4. Are properly serviced with the necessary utilities infrastructure;
5. In the case of sites for travelling showpeople and transit sites for gypsies and travellers, are easily accessible from the strategic highway network; and
6. In the case of sites for travelling showpeople, make adequate provision for storage and other business needs whilst ensuring that the amenity of residents both on the site and in the surrounding area is protected.

Policy H13 - Self-build and custom housebuilding

To ensure that a supply of suitable opportunities are available for prospective self-build and custom housebuilders, all developments of 100 or more houses will be required to provide at least 5% of the total house plots in the form of serviced plots for sale to self-build and custom housebuilders.

Where plots remain unsold after having been made available in serviced form at a realistic price and marketed appropriately for at least 24 months, then the plots may be utilised by other housing providers.

The nationally described space standards as required by policy H5 shall apply to self-build and custom housebuilding developments.

The definition of a serviced plot of land is set out in national planning practice guidance.

Policy H14 - Conversion of existing houses, and new build residential developments of non-self-contained units

The conversion of existing houses into any of the following uses will be carefully controlled to ensure that a good supply of houses is maintained within Salford and the positive character of neighbourhoods is protected:

1. Apartments
2. Student housing
3. Houses in multiple occupation
4. Hotels and guest houses
5. Residential institutions
6. Hostels, children’s homes and similar uses
7. Non-residential uses such as offices

Conversions to any of the above uses will only be permitted where it can be demonstrated that the proposal would not, either individually or cumulatively with other completed developments and schemes with planning permission or prior approval:

1. Have an unacceptable impact on the positive residential character of the surrounding neighbourhood, having particular regard to potential increases in:
   1. Noise and disturbance;
   2. On-street car parking;
   3. Waste management; and
   4. Population turnover levels that could reduce community stability;
2. Result in the infrastructure capacity of the site or local area being exceeded; and
3. Result in any house that is in use as a single dwelling being immediately adjacent to more than one property in any of the above uses (immediately adjacent properties include properties directly behind and opposite, as well as to either side).

New build developments in categories C-G will be judged by the same criteria.

Some changes of use may constitute development but not require planning permission because of permitted development rights set at the national level. If there is evidence that such changes of use are having a significant negative impact on the character of residential neighbourhoods then the city council will introduce an Article 4 Direction covering part, or all, of Salford to remove the relevant permitted development rights.