Salboy Construction Expands Nationwide to Revive Stalled UK Housing Projects
Salboy, the prominent Manchester-based developer behind some of the city's most ambitious projects, is taking its construction expertise nationwide. The company has launched Salboy Construction to a broader UK market, specifically targeting stalled and struggling building schemes that require urgent intervention to move forward.
From Manchester Roots to National Ambitions
Founded in 2014 by BetFred founder Fred Done and Simon Ismail, Salboy has established itself as a major force in Greater Manchester's property landscape. The developer has been responsible for high-profile projects including the Viadux towers in Manchester city centre, with the first 40-storey tower already completed adjacent to the Deansgate-Castlefield tram stop.
Simon Ismail previously described the Viadux project as "the toughest and number one engineering, structural engineering job that the city has ever seen," highlighting the complex work involved in building above and into historic Victorian railway arches.
Current projects include the neighbouring Nobu tower, set to become Manchester's tallest building at 76 storeys, featuring a flagship Nobu restaurant. The development attracted Hollywood star Robert De Niro, co-founder of Nobu, who visited Manchester to launch the project last year.
Specialist Construction Arm Takes Centre Stage
While Salboy's development work remains concentrated in Greater Manchester, the company established Salboy Construction in 2024 as a specialist residential construction business. Initially created to work on Salboy's own schemes and projects funded by sister company Salboy Capital, the construction arm has already demonstrated its capabilities across the country.
The business has successfully intervened in several challenging situations, including taking over a 70-home residential project in Lincolnshire, restarting two "distressed" developments in London, and completing a 77-home affordable housing scheme in Cornwall.
Addressing the UK's Construction Crisis
Andrew Cavanagh, CFO of Salboy, explained the rationale behind the national expansion: "The outlook for housing developers, fundings and associations shouldn't look as bleak as it does. Buyer demand is robust, finance is accessible, and the supply:demand ratio for new housing in this country is skewed heavily in their favour."
He continued: "But the difficulty of securing capable construction partners to build in locations where houses are most needed is reaching fever pitch. Across the country, developers' schemes are slowing down, stalling altogether or taking years to get out of the ground because suitable contractors cannot be mobilised quickly enough or with sufficient certainty that they can deliver on time and on budget."
Focus on Affordable Housing and Distressed Sites
Salboy Construction is particularly targeting "cost-sensitive" areas, including affordable housing delivery, and has already begun working with three registered providers. The company specialises in both distressed and stalled sites requiring new delivery processes and greenfield projects needing development from scratch.
Stephen Ward, construction director at Salboy, commented: "Anyone working in the construction space today will have seen good housing schemes stall, not because demand wasn't there, but because the right delivery partner could not be secured or retained. That is exactly the gap Salboy Construction has been created to fill."
He added: "In a short space of time we've been able to show developers and funders we've the right mix of domain expertise, supplier leverage and tenacity to bring greater certainty to schemes that might otherwise struggle to get off the ground."
Collaborative Approach to Project Delivery
The construction business operates using both its own delivery teams and trusted contractors, including Domis Construction as its key partner in the North West. This flexible approach allows Salboy Construction to adapt to different project requirements and locations across the UK.
Cavanagh revealed that increasing numbers of funds, banks, housing associations and registered providers of social housing have been approaching Salboy for assistance with stalled projects. "Until this point, capacity was our only constraint," he said. "We're excited that now, thanks to Salboy Construction, we can start saying 'Yes' to more of these projects and bring forward more homes where they're desperately needed."
As Salboy Construction expands its national presence, the company aims to provide much-needed certainty to the UK housing sector, helping to unlock developments that have been delayed or abandoned despite clear market demand.
