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Eccles

Eccles Gateway and the old town hall

Eccles is a historic town within the city of Salford, with roots stretching back to  the 14th century. Known for its  rich heritage and the iconic Eccles cake, the town is now embracing a bold new chapter.

With excellent transport links, a growing independent café and retail scene, a vibrant community spirit, and strong education provision, Eccles has so much to offer. But like many towns, it has faced challenges in recent years — with empty shops, limited job opportunities, housing that doesn’t meet everyone’s needs, and an overall lack of investment.

It’s now time for change

Muse, the nationally recognised placemaker, were appointed as Salford City Council’s strategic regeneration partner for Eccles Town Centre in July 2025.

Having a strategic regeneration partner onboard is a big step forward. It paves the way for future work to deliver on the council’s promise to create an improved and fit-for-purpose town centre for the residents of Eccles, in line with the shared vision developed with local people.

The next steps involve the creation of a masterplan to bring the Eccles Vision to life, enhancing public spaces, supporting independent businesses, strengthening connections across the town, and celebrating Eccles’ rich heritage to create a thriving destination for residents and visitors alike. The regeneration presents an opportunity to make the town centre greener, more accessible and a focal point for the community, whilst providing new, much needed homes.

To drive this forward, the partnership launched a community conversation to help inform interventions and opportunities to be incorporated in the masterplan. A number of events were held during autumn 2025 and early 2026 where the local community were able to speak to the project team about the proposals and to share their views.

Phase one of the community conversation concluded on 19 November 2025. During this stage, people’s views were gathered to help shape a draft masterplan for Eccles Town Centre.

That feedback helped to shape a draft masterplan that was shared during the second phase of the community conversation. That four week period of consultation on the draft proposals concluded on 31 March 2026. All comments are now being reviewed and taken into consideration. 

Find out more on the Eccles Town Centre website.

The Eccles Vision 

The Eccles Vision is a shared plan for the future, shaped through extensive consultation with residents, businesses, schools and community groups – 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)

Town centre news

Following the council’s success in securing Capital Regeneration Project funding from the UK Government to purchase and demolish Eccles Shopping Centre and the multi-storey car park, significant progress has already been made. 

Clearance of the Phase 1 site (see plan below) involving the demolition of the market hall, multi-storey car park and a number of retail units and derelict buildings is now complete - making space for a future that reflects the needs and aspirations of the community.

The council has acquired the Charles House office block on John William Street. The building falls within the area of the town centre the city council is seeking to regenerate, and its purchase enhances the council’s ability to drive comprehensive redevelopment in Eccles.

The council intends to demolish Charles House during 2026/27.

During this period, the rest of the town centre (including Church Street, Boothway and The Mall) remains open for business as usual. 

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 shared future for Eccles.

Map of the demolition

Map of Eccles showing demolition phase March 2025

Frequently asked questions

Plans for the future

Who are Muse, and where can I find out more about them? 

We are placemakers, working in partnership to deliver brighter futures for our towns and cities.

We take on ambitious projects at scale with a long-term outlook. Our track record of over 40 years leading complex, mixed-use regeneration gives us the experience to deliver successful places, with the emphasis on sustainability, community and quality.

We’re in it for the duration, so we prioritise the things that make a great place for people in the long-term; the amenities and facilities they need, offices and workspaces for businesses, civic and community buildings, nature and biodiversity and healthy transport. We help nurture inclusive and happier communities, both old and new, by creating desirable shared spaces and opportunities for people to connect.

More about Muse: museplaces.com 

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

Following the appointment of Muse as Salford City Council’s strategic regeneration partner for Eccles Town Centre in July 2025, the next steps involve the creation of a masterplan to bring the Eccles Vision to life, enhancing public spaces, supporting independent businesses, strengthening connections across the town, and celebrating Eccles’ rich heritage to create a thriving destination for residents and visitors alike.

The partnership has launched a community conversation to help inform interventions and opportunities to be incorporated in the masterplan.

Through ongoing consultation and engagement with the community the shared vision for Eccles will be firmed up into a plan for what, where and when change will happen.

Find out more on the Eccles Town Centre website.

Based on the current timeline it is estimated that new development will commence early 2028.

See the full timeline

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

A draft masterplan was developed following an extensive community conversation with residents, businesses, community groups and other stakeholders.

The masterplan was shared.

Be part of the community conversation to help shape those plans – go to the Eccles Town Centre website to find out more.

How can I find out more?

To find out more and sign up for updates go to the Eccles Town Centre website.

Eccles Shopping Centre

What is the plan for Eccles Shopping Centre?

Phase 1 of the shopping centre together with the disused multi-storey car park have been demolished. The rest of the 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 had 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?

Demolition of Phase 1 of the Shopping Centre, the market hall, and Multi Storey Car Park was completed in December 2025.

The council has now acquired the Charles House office block on John William Street. The building falls within the area of the town centre the city council is seeking to regenerate, and its purchase enhances the council’s ability to drive comprehensive redevelopment in Eccles. The council intends to demolish Charles House during 2026, with preparatory works already underway.

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.

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.

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.

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

Demolition currently affects the area outlined in phase 1 - which is 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 the rest of the town centre (including Church Street, Boothway and The Mall) remains open for business 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.

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

Changes in the way people shop, especially with more online shopping, means towns are changing. We need to think about how Eccles works for people in very different ways: potentially fewer shops, more green and well-signed 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.

What happens next?

Following the conclusion of the two phases of the community conversation in March 2026, feedback is being reviewed in detail by the design team and a final masterplan shaped by the ideas and aspirations of local people will be produced. The final masterplan is expected to be complete by autumn 2026.

Sign up for regular updates on the Eccles Town Centre website.

Get in touch

You can get in touch in any of the following ways:

  • Call the Freephone number: 0808 1688 296 (leave a message and one of the team will call you back)
  • Email: contact@ecclesconversation.co.uk
  • Write to us (no stamp required):
    Freepost RUGS-SJCY-TZAA, Eccles Town Centre Conversation,
    c/o Turley, Level 5, Transmission, 6 Atherton Street, Manchester, M3 3GS

This page was last updated on 18 June 2026

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