The start of a community conversation on Eccles town centre regeneration

Salford City Council and Muse announce the start of a community conversation on Eccles town centre regeneration.

Eccles town centre is set to enter a new chapter, with ambitious plans underway to revitalise the heart of the town and unlock its full potential. 

In July, Salford City Council and Muse formed a partnership to regenerate Eccles town centre. The project will help to create vibrant, welcoming spaces where people can live, relax, socialise, shop, work, and enjoy culture and leisure activities.

From today, residents, stakeholders and local businesses are invited to get involved in a community conversation to share their views.

In 2022, the people of Eccles were asked what they wanted for the future of their town. From these conversations, key themes emerged which provided high-level aspirations that should guide any regeneration activity.

The Eccles Vision was shaped from this feedback, capturing the community’s ambitions and setting out bold ideas for change, with residents at the heart of shaping what comes next.

The next steps involve the creation of a masterplan to bring this vision to life, enhancing public spaces, supporting independent businesses, strengthening connections across the town, and celebrating Eccles’ rich heritage to create a thriving destination for residents and visitors alike. The regeneration presents an opportunity to make the town centre greener, more accessible and a focal point for the community, whilst providing new, much needed homes.

To drive this forward, the partnership has launched a four-week community conversation to help inform interventions and opportunities to be incorporated in the masterplan. A number of events are being held where the local community will have an opportunity to speak to the project team about the proposals and to share their views.

This includes a live public webinar on Thursday 23rd October at 6pm, and two drop-in events at Eccles Town Hall on Saturday 25th October, from 10am - 2pm, and Friday 31st October, from 1:30pm - 6:30pm. 

Ahead of launching the community conversation, Councillor Mike McCusker, Lead Member for Planning, Transport and Sustainable Development at Salford City Council, said: 

“Eccles is a town with a proud heritage and exciting potential. The masterplan, once developed with community voices at its heart, will create new homes and spaces that residents can enjoy and be proud of for decades to come. This regeneration is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to bring the community together to shape the town’s future. Whether you live or work in the town, I’d urge everyone with a stake in Eccles to attend one of the drop-in events or join the public webinar and share your views to help shape the future of the town centre. ”

Alex Vogel, Senior Development Manager at Muse, added: 

“Muse are thrilled to be partnering with Salford City Council to deliver real, meaningful change for Eccles. We are at the very early stages of our plans and building on the work that has already been undertaken to develop the Eccles Vision and we want to understand more about the specific wants and needs that the community would like to see brought forward. This initial community conversation led by the partnership is an important step in helping us deliver a town centre that reflects what local people want, whilst celebrating local businesses and enhancing the historic character of Eccles.”

Following this community conversation, feedback will be reviewed in detail by the design team and a draft masterplan produced. A further community conversation on the document is then expected in early 2026.

Residents can share their views and find out more on the new Join the conversation on the future of Eccles Town Centre website.