English Cities Fund has submitted plans to Salford City Council for a £68 million, five-storey business school for the University of Salford, as reported by Place North West, a scheme that matters to building and architecture professionals because it tests a demolish-and-rebuild route on a university estate after a retention option was dropped. Consideration was disclosed by Place North West as £68 million.

English Cities Fund is the joint venture between Muse, L&G and Homes England’s National Housing Bank, according to Place North West, and Construction News reported that Muse is part of Morgan Sindall Group.

The University of Salford is funding the scheme, according to Place North West, which reported that the 80,000 sq ft building would replace Crescent House on the south side of the A6 Crescent.

BDP designed the scheme, Place North West reported, adding that an earlier proposal to keep Crescent House was dropped over uncertainties about its frame, according to planning documents.

Morgan Sindall Construction has been appointed to build it, Place North West reported, and Steven Gregory, North West area director at Morgan Sindall Construction, said in the company’s announcement, as reported by Construction Enquirer: “Salford is changing fast, and the University is at the heart of that change.”

Place North West reported that Stroma, GEA and PP O’Connor are also advising.

The structural driver is the wider Crescent Salford masterplan, which, according to Place North West, is a £2.5 billion, 240-acre regeneration led by ECF with Salford City Council and the university.

For the sector, the timing matters because Construction Enquirer reported that, if planning consent is secured, work is expected to start in April 2027 with completion scheduled for spring 2029.

Construction News reported that the contractor previously delivered the £65 million SEE Building and the £16 million robotics centre for the university, and is building an acoustics facility due in mid-2027.

The broader implication for the sector is that repeat appointments on one campus, with a pre-construction period to March 2027 reported by The Business Desk, favour contractors with an established client relationship.

Source: Place North West / Construction Enquirer / Construction News / The Business Desk