The former Buzz Bingo Hall in Pendleton, on the corner of Hankinson Way and Belvedere Road close to Salford Shopping Centre, is set to be redeveloped into 268 homes under plans sent to the council.
Donard Affordable Homes has proposed the 100% affordable development, designed by POD Architects and to be known as Albion Court. It’ll comprise 117 one-bedroom apartments, 137 with two bedrooms, 10 three-bedroom flats and 4 three-bedroom maisonettes.
It’s the company’s intention to transfer the completed homes under a lease-based finance arrangement to a housing association.
‘The Precinct’ as locals call it has had a very chequered past since opening to very little fanfare 50 years ago in 1972. A corruption scandal within the Labour party delayed its opening and since then it’s fallen on hard times – what with COVID-19 and years of the decline of retail.
The area in and around the Shopping Centre is still seen as the centre of the city, and there’s still a great market every Sunday which is perfect for a little hangover potter.
The surrounding streets of Pendleton though have certainly seen better times – rated the 12th most deprived area in the country in 2007. Hopefully, this development signals the start of a complete re-development of the areas around Salford’s Shopping Centre, which has been overlooked and forgotten for years.
Paul Thornton, a spokesperson for Donard Affordable Homes, said: “Our proposed plans in Pendleton will deliver a transformational development with sustainability and high-quality design principles at its heart.
“Our ambition is to bring forward a scheme which can revitalise this important site and help address the local housing shortage with much-needed affordable homes.”