Demolished More Than a Decade Ago, a Salford Church Site Could Finally Get 60 Affordable Homes

• The former St Boniface Catholic Church in Lower Broughton, Salford, was demolished over a decade ago
• ForHousing has applied to build 60 affordable homes on the one-acre site
• The plans include 48 one-bed and 12 two-bed flats in two blocks
• Construction could start in winter 2026 if approved

A patch of land in Salford that has stood empty since its Catholic church was pulled down could soon hold dozens of affordable homes. Place North West reported in June 2026 that the housing association ForHousing had submitted plans for 60 homes on the former St Boniface Catholic Church site in Lower Broughton.

The church was demolished more than a decade ago, leaving a vacant one-acre plot between Frederick Road and St Boniface Road, close to Peel Park. The proposal is for two apartment blocks: a four-storey building facing Frederick Road and a three-storey building on St Boniface Road.

The 60 homes would comprise 48 one-bedroom and 12 two-bedroom flats, all affordable. Westshield is lined up as contractor and Eden Building Design as architect. The application has been submitted to Salford City Council, and ForHousing hopes to start construction in winter 2026, subject to planning approval.

The scheme follows a well-worn path in Greater Manchester, where closed churches have often left behind valuable sites in established neighbourhoods. Once a church has gone, affordable housing is one of the few uses that can serve the same community the parish once did.

The long gap between demolition and redevelopment is also a lesson. A cleared site can sit idle for years while plans, funding and partners come together, and an empty plot brings nothing to the neighbourhood in the meantime.

Church land in Jamaica is often in the heart of communities where affordable homes are scarce. For denominations on the island with closed or ruined churches, and for diaspora members who care about what happens to them, Salford’s St Boniface site shows the value of planning the next use early, so land given for worship can go on serving local families rather than lying vacant.

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