NEARLY 20 years after it closed, Salford's Weaste bus depot is to get a new lease of life.

The vast building on Eccles New Road is being lined up for a '20m development creating 208 apartments.

Abbotsound Developments, owned by Les Hampson, has submitted plans to Salford city council which are expected to be considered within three weeks.

The plan is to demolish most of the building and create two blocks of apartments, but some of the perimeter walls of the original landmark would be kept.

Mr Hampson said: "We would retain the frontage as it is part of the city's heritage. The clock tower would also be kept.

Enthusiastic

"The whole development will be about '20m, and we believe the homes provided will be a great opportunity for first-time buyers. Council officers seem enthusiastic about it, but there may be some aspects that need tweaking."

The depot opened in October, 1929, and closed in January, 1986, after a bitter fight by unions and workers to keep it open.

The site, bounded by Eccles New Road, Hessel Street, James Corbett Road and Humber Street, will be landscaped with communal gardens.

The development will be next to the main Metrolink tramline between Eccles and Salford Quays. If planning permission is granted, work is expected to start early next year.

The depot is listed as a building of Grade A historical interest by Salford council, but it has no protection against development. When it opened, it housed 25 trams and 80 buses. A fleet of 87 buses operated there when it closed in January, 1986.

The housing development will comprise 167 one-bedroom and 41 two-bedroom flats.