55 Bridgewater Street, Little Hulton, Worsley, Manchester, M38 9ND

1. 1.The proposal would introduce main town centre use(s) in an out-of-centre location. Insufficient information has been submitted, as neither a sequential assessment nor an impact assessment has been provided, to demonstrate that no suitable or available in-centre or edge-of-centre sites exist, or to show that the development would not harm the vitality and viability of Little Hulton Local Centre or Walkden Town Centre. In the absence of this evidence, the proposal is contrary to Policies TC1 and TC2 of the Salford Local Plan: Development Management Policies and Designations (SLP:DMP), as well as paragraph 91 of the National Planning Policy Framework.
2. 2.Insufficient information has been submitted to demonstrate that the development would not result in unacceptable impacts on the local highway network. The site is located on a residential street already subject to significant parking pressure, and no Transport Statement has been provided to set out the likely operational characteristics of the proposed uses, including staff numbers, trip generation, peak activity times, servicing arrangements and parking demand. In the absence of this information, and given the uncertainty arising from the flexible Class E use, which could attract varying levels of car-borne customers and servicing activity, the proposal fails to demonstrate that the development would operate safely or without severe cumulative highways and pedestrian safety impacts. As such, the proposed development is contrary to Policies A6, A7 and WM1 of the Salford Local Plan: Development Management Policies and Designations (SLP:DMP), Places for Everyone Policy JP-C8 and the requirements of the National Planning Policy Framework.
3. 3.The proposal seeks an unrestricted Class E use in a predominantly residential area without providing essential information on the intended use, operating hours or expected activity levels. This lack of detail means the noise and disturbance impacts cannot be fully assessed. Given the potential for several Class E uses to generate significant footfall and vehicle movements, the applicant has not demonstrated that residential amenity would be protected. The proposal therefore conflicts with Policy D5 of the Salford Local Plan: Development Management Policies and Designations (SLP:DMP), and the National Planning Policy Framework. PA/2025/1676 Article 35 Declaration The proposal would not improve the economic, social and environmental conditions of the area nor does it comply with the development plan and therefore does not comprise sustainable development. There were no amendments to the scheme, or conditions which could reasonably have been imposed, which could have made the development acceptable and it was therefore not possible to approve the application.

From the council's decision notice.

Postcode

M38 9ND

Application type

Full planning permission

Scale / size

Small

Date validated

6 February 2026

Target decision date

13 March 2026

Application expires

3 April 2026

Statutory period

56 days

Documents

19