Sefton Council are in talks to acquire the The Salfordian Hotel in Southport, which has been a refuge for those most in need for more than sixty years.
Despite the 48 mile difference, The Salfordian was actually bought by Salford Council in 1963 to provide sheltered and safe accommodation for residents and carers.
Sefton Council were recently approached by Salford Council to see if the Local Authority were interested in taking over the building, which has the potential to provide temporary accommodation for local households and residents most in need in Sefton.
This will continue the legacy of the Salfordian, providing a safe and supported environment.
Sefton Council has a statutory duty to prevent and relieve homelessness for its residents. Support services are in place for Sefton residents that are housed in temporary accommodation where they can be helped to find a permanent home.
Please see a list of Frequently Asked Questions below.
The Salfordian Hotel has been owned by Salford City Council since the 1960s. It has operated as a hotel offering respite and support to Salford residents and their carers. Oversight of its operations has been managed by the Salfordian Trust. In more recent times the hotel has been leased to a hotel operator.
Salford Council approached Sefton Council with an offer to purchase the site, as its use as a hotel has declined in recent years. Understanding the pressures facing local authorities in providing accommodation to people in need, they were keen for the property to remain in public ownership.
Given the increasing demand for temporary accommodation in Sefton and nationally, the site could help meet the needs of local residents experiencing homelessness.
If the Council decides to proceed with the purchase, it would need to apply for all necessary planning approvals before completing the sale.
If planning permission is required, an applicant will need to apply to the Local Planning Authority. Upon receipt of a valid planning application, the Local Planning Authority will notify local residents/businesses of the development, in line with the Councils Statement of Community Involvement (Statement of Community Involvement).
Local residents/businesses will have an opportunity to comment or raise a petition on the application. Any comments received by the Local Planning Authority will be fully considered in the determination of the application. Further details as to how to comment on an application can be found here: Search and View Planning Applications and Appeals.
The Local Planning Authority will assess the proposal against local and national planning policy, giving consideration to all relevant material considerations such as design, amenity, highways, heritage, ecology and other material considerations.
Following an assessment, a decision will be made either under delegated powers by the Chief Planning Officer or by the Planning Committee to approve or refuse the application. If a decision is to approve, this may be subject to specific conditions.
There is a possibility that this proposal will constitute a ‘change of use’ under the Building Regulations if, after any building work is complete, the building contains additional or fewer rooms for residential purposes. Any structural work, alterations to means of escape or alterations to the fabric of the building would also come under the scope of the Building Regulations.
Residents will be consulted. Consultation would take place as part of any planning process, which as stated in Point 3 will take place should the council progress with this purchase.
It is proposed that a registered housing provider would be appointed through a formal procurement process to manage the site. The provider would offer support to residents, helping them move on to longer-term accommodation. The site would be staffed 24 hours a day to ensure safety and support. Occupants would have to sign a licence agreement and any breach of the conditions in the agreement could result in them losing the accommodation.
No, Asylum Seekers will not be accommodated at the Salfordian under this proposal.
Accommodation for people seeking asylum is arranged by the Home Office, not by local councils. As stated in Point 9. The Salfordian would not be used for this purpose.
While no final decisions have been made, the site could be used to accommodate people local to Sefton who are homeless and are eligible for support from the local authority. Eligibility criteria are outlined in the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s Homelessness Code of Guidance.
People can find themselves in a homeless situation due to a combination of factors and life events that often interact with and intensify each other, these can include:
- Relationship breakdown with partner, family or friends you are living with.
- Evictions e.g. Landlord wishing to sell a property you are renting (s.21 ‘no fault eviction’)
- Domestic abuse,
- Inability to afford rent due to increased cost of living (eg increases in rent, utility costs, day to day costs, plus reduced income),
- Lack of affordable housing supply making it is difficult to move from one home to another easily.
If someone approaches the local authority for assistance, they will receive an assessment which will determine the level of support they are eligible for.
As the hotel is no longer in operation, Salford Council has arranged for live-in guardians to occupy the building. These individuals live there under a licence agreement to help protect the property from vandalism and report any maintenance issues.
It is proposed that the Salfordian will accommodate eligible homeless single adults who have been assessed as being eligible for assistance from the local authority – the reasons people become homeless are varied. For the year 2024/25 2.08% of households owed the Relief duty had been in custody directly prior to approaching the council for assistance. (North West equivalent was 6.91% and England equivalent 4.34%, more homelessness statistics can be found here).
The vast majority of the report and information will be in the public domain. The only piece of information to be considered in private is the purchase price, as this is commercially sensitive.
The current layout of the Salfordian lends itself to occupancy by small households, most likely singles and couples.
Around 170 of our eligible homeless households currently in temporary accommodation are singles. Single person accommodation is in short supply in Sefton in both the social and private rental sectors. Purchase of the Salfordian provides the council with an opportunity to increase supply in-house and within the borough.
The mix of households to be accommodated will be determined with the service provider in the future.
The council currently supports around 270 households experiencing homelessness and with temporary accommodation. Of people that were assessed as homeless, in a priority need group and owed the Relief duty (i.e., temporary accommodation) in the year 2024/25, some 2% had a previous address that was in custody.
All applicants for homelessness support are assessed and the council’s Homeless Support Team will identify those where the accommodation that could be provided through the current configuration of the Salfordian is considered suitable.
This is not intended to operate as an HMO. In planning terms, it is likely that this proposal is considered as a hostel and will be managed by a registered provider.
There are currently 26 bedrooms in the Salfordian and a range of shared facilities. The detail of how the accommodation will be used is to be worked up ahead of the planning application.
As currently configured, the Salfordian has 26 bedrooms that are considered suitable for temporary accommodation.
Pre-planning discussions have not got into detail regarding occupancy limits.
There are several steps in supporting people who have been in custody and the probation service has a regulated process for overseeing this activity.
It is possible that some eligible households will have a history of offending however as part of the assessment carried out by the Homeless Support Team and the subsequent allocation process, the nature of any recent offending known to the council will be considered as part of a risk-based approach.
It is unlikely that the cohort of residents to be accommodated at the Salfordian who have a history of offending would be in any significantly greater concentration than that in the wider community.
Residents of the Salfordian will have to agree to a license to occupy the premises. Should a resident breach the terms of that licence they could be asked to leave and may forfeit any further support from the council in terms of temporary accommodation.
Residents would be free to come and go, behaving as good neighbours and part of the community. Residents with specific licence conditions which place a restriction on their movement would not be accommodated at the Salfordian.
Eligible households will be assessed, and allocations will consider risk, based on information and history of the applicant that is known to the council.
The operator of the premises will be a Registered Provider. RPs are regulated by the Regulator of Social Housing and there are a range of standards that they are expected to meet. This includes the Neighbourhood and Community Standard, which can be found online here.
This Standard includes a requirement to work with the council, police and other partners to deter and tackle anti-social behaviour in the neighbourhood where they provide a service.
This proposal is not aimed at accommodating eligible households with complex needs. The provider of the service will be required to sign-post residents to support services where appropriate.
As above, the operator will be required to work with the council to deter and tackle anti-social behaviour in the surrounding area as part of existing community safety arrangements.
This proposal is part of a wider strategy agreed in 2024 to address Homelessness and Rough Sleeping in Sefton.
The strategy sets out a commitment to implement, evaluate and develop new approaches to delivering Housing Options/Homeless Support services across the whole system, and to improve the quality of emergency bed and temporary accommodation provision and associated support.
The Council is bringing forward a range of actions to do this such as improving how accommodation is procured from the private rental sector, collaboration with social housing providers, and efforts to prevents households from becoming homeless.
The opportunity to purchase the Salfordian provides much needed additional capacity over and above the temporary accommodation supply in the private rental sector. It also gives the Council the opportunity to design and procure additional support for residents in this accommodation that will help them to successfully move on to more permanent accommodation of their own.
Accommodation at the Salfordian will be for eligible households from Sefton. It is likely that allocations will be made to households from the Southport area to help them to maintain local connections.
If the purchase is approved, subject to consultation and planning approval, the property will remain in public ownership with Sefton Council retaining control over allocations.