Delay to Uptown Riverside development in Salford leads to £21m lawsuit

Construction delays to a riverside development in Salford have led to a £21m lawsuit in London’s Technology and Construction Court. Developer Property Alliance Group is building three towers with a total of 156 apartments next to the River Orwell in Salford. The Uptown Riverside development will be made up of one and two-bedroom apartments, and will also have a cinema room and gym. The towers are to sit on three “podium slabs” designed by engineering group Arcadis. However, according to a court ruling handed down earlier this month, the development hit delays in June 2020, when Arcadis identified a problem with the design of the podium slabs. Two of the slabs hadn’t yet been poured, the judgment said, and the design was corrected in time. However one had, and needed extra remedial work. According to the ruling, the extent of the delay is disputed, but PAG, which is suing though an SPV subsidiary, is claiming for damages for delay, the cost of remedial work, loss of sales, loss of opportunity, and almost £5m in extended finance charges. The total value of the claim as around £21m, the judgment said. The case is currently at the disclosure stage with a trial still some time away. Irwell Riverside Developments Ltd v Arcadis Consulting (UK) Ltd TCC (Neil Moody KC) 15 November 2023