Council planners have passed proposals by housebuilders Countryside Properties (UK) Ltd for 60 homes on the site of a famous former primary school in Salford.
Seedley Primary School’s most prominent alumni is Salford-born journalist Alastair Cooke.
The three-storey redbrick school opened in 1905 and closed in 2010.
It has been a target for fly-tippers since the school and adjacent caretaker’s house were bulldozed in July 2011.
Only the existing grassed playing fields remain.
Watch: Seedley Primary School demolished
24 two-bed houses and 36 three-bed houses for the private rented sector are now earmarked for the 1.2-hectare plot off Liverpool Street.
Once built by Countryside, the homes will be managed by DifRent, a lettings company formed by backers Sigma, Gatehouse Bank and Direct Lettings Ltd in February 2015.
Regeneration firm Sigma, who signed a deal with Salford City Council in 2004 to develop 9 acres of land in Lower Broughton for new housing, announced in February that construction work was underway on its £100 million developments in Salford and Liverpool.
Read: Sigma launch £100m PRS scheme
But there’s controversy afoot at the Seedley site after it emerged Countryside will avoid over £300,000 in developer’s fees because the firm said the Section 106 contributions would make the project ‘entirely unviable’.
It was asked to pay £318,664 including £99,496.32 in education payments to lessen the development’s impact on local school places.
The council also asked for £129,168 in open space contributions and £90,000 in infrastructure payments.
Planning policy dictates that at least 20% of new developments – in this case 12 properties – should be affordable housing.
Countryside argued that this, too, would make the scheme ‘unviable’.
However the company agreed to sign a legal agreement with the council for a “clawback” mechanism when “costs and values are firmed up”.
Objectors argued that the housebuilding would put additional strain on primary school places in an already over-subscribed area.
“The site is designated educational and and should not be used for housing until lack of school places area addressed,” wrote one.
Countryside said increased demand for on-street car parking on nearby streets would be lessened by a new 5.5 metre-wide access road to link Liverpool Street and Southbourne Street, and a new cul-de-sac formed off Derby Road.
The loss of 100 trees, including one over a century old would be “detrimental to the area and ecologically damaging”, one complainant added.
Some trees on the site fall under Category B, which mean they had made a significant contribution to the area for more than 20 years.
Under planning rules this can put the brakes on a development, but Salford City Council’s consultant arborist ruled that Countryside’s plan to replant 70 trees was compensation enough.
Others raised questions whether the loss of open green space was right for the area.
Since 1996 local authorities have had to consult with Sport England when playing fields are removed for developments.
The sport authority originally objected to the loss of playing fields, but dropped their objection when council planners agreed that Countryside had demonstrated that larger and better quality fields at the new-build Willow Tree Primary School on nearby Greenland Street were an good enough replacement.
Graeme Hogg, Chief Operating Officer at Sigma Capital, said: “We are pleased that the planning process has now successfully completed.
“This site is one of five in Salford in our first £100m portfolio and demonstrates our continued investment appetite in Salford.
Work is expected to start on site by Wednesday 27 May.
