Approval nears for major Salford scheme

Plans to build a huge mixed-use development on the site of the former Castle Irwell student village in Salford look set to be approved.The University of Salford is behind the application, which proposes up to 500 homes and 25,000 sq ft of commercial space. The majority of matters are reserved as the proposals are in outline form.At the rear, 215,600 sq ft of land would be set aside for a future school and sports changing rooms.Though the site is currently vacant, it was previously used as a racecourse. This use ceased in 1963. In 1973, the university acquired the plot and subsequently constructed a number of student accommodation buildings, which were occupied up until 2015.In 2016 a remnant racecourse stand was damaged by fire and subsequently demolished along with the empty buildings. It is now “largely unkempt and overgrown”.