Site History

HISTORY OF SITE

The Green Lane site, owned by Sky Properties, has historically been used for heavy industry and is the former Mitchell & Shackleton works. After founding the company in 1887, when work on the Manchester Ship Canal began, Ernest Mitchell relocated his engineering works to the Green Lane premises in 1908 before joining forces with Edwin Shackleton to create a successful crankshaft manufacturing and repair company with a worldwide customer base.

Mitchell & Shackleton were in good company, with other entrepreneurs and manufacturers choosing to locate on Green Lane including James Nasymth (inventor of the steam hammer), whose ironworks later became the Royal Ordinance Factory and, latterly, an industrial park.

More recent industrial activity on the Green Lane site includes iron forging by North West Forge, reconditioning of large vehicle engines by Paul Gardner Engineering and chemical processing by Plasticon and Levertech. All of these businesses were operational when the site was purchased by Sky Properties, after Mitchell & Shackleton went into receivership in 2003.

Considerable work has been carried out by Sky Properties to make the land safe over the past few years. The site has been subject to a number of incidents of criminal damage, dumping (including hazardous materials), arson attacks and attempts at squatting by gypsies (this occurred in 2007 and Sky Properties were able to move them on within three days). At the point when Sky Properties purchased the land, it was deemed too toxic to enter by the surveyors. As a responsible developer, Sky Properties therefore sought to secure the site and remove all dangerous buildings and materials from the land in order to ensure that the site is safe.

Sky Properties, in consultation with demolition contractor North West Demolition Services and Salford Council, formulated a demolition plan for the remaining buildings which were causing health and safety issues. The appropriate surveys, method statements and notices were lodged with Urban Vision Partnership. All surveys and notices are available on written application.

PREVIOUS SCHEMES PROPOSED BY SKY PROPERTIES

Residential

Sky Properties had previously wanted to build environmentally-friendly houses on the site. In 2006, Salford Council refused planning permission for an outline application for residential use on the Green Lane site. An appeal to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government (then Hazel Blears) was rejected, upholding the Council’s decision to protect the site’s designation for employment use. Reasons for refusal included:

• It was stated that there was a qualitative need for employment land at the site and it was a sustainable location for this use - near to a large population where unemployment rates are above the national average
• The housing proposal was not in accordance with the Council’s Unitary Development Plan policy seeking to maintain an adequate supply of employment land
• The site is adjacent to the M602 Motorway and industrial uses with the result that there were concerns about the extent to which the site could be developed for residential use.
• The accessibility of the site for housing was not good in terms of other transport modes – it would require the use of private cars. It was however concluded that speeding traffic on Canal Bank would be resolvable through highway safety measures.

Times Online article: Read article here

Warehousing / Mixed Use

A proposed scheme for warehousing and mixed use (warehousing and offices) on the Green Lane site was never formally submitted because it was not commercially viable.

Offices

After consultation with Salford Council, this scheme was not submitted by Sky Properties because the Council stated it conflicted with their Unitary Development Plan.

Mixed use – care homes / offices

This scheme was not encouraged by Salford Council as it conflicted with their Unitary Development Plan.

CURRENT PROPOSAL

Green Lane Eco Park

Salford Council – supported by the Government – has made it clear that the site should be used for industrial/employment purposes and has encouraged Sky Properties to consider waste management options for the site.

The site has been identified as a preferred option for waste uses including Advanced Thermal Treatment (gasification), Anaerobic Digestion and Recycling in the emerging Greater Manchester Joint Waste Development Plan Document.

TRAFFIC

Each of the different schemes considered for the site have all been ruled out for various reasons. Every other option considered for the site had higher vehicle movements and also more at peak hours. The Green Lane Eco Park development has a lower traffic impact than other schemes and uses considered.