Plans for 160 apartments on Pomona Island - one of Greater Manchester’s ‘hidden gems’ - have been put forward

Two blocks - 10 and 11 storeys high - could be built between Hulme Hall Road and the Manchester Ship and Bridgewater canals to the east of the island.

The wasteland, which is more than a kilometre in length, was once a bustling dockland, but has lain dormant for decades. The ‘forgotten island’ straddles Salford, Trafford and Manchester.

Pomona Island is created by the River Irwell and Manchester Ship Canal to the north and the Bridgewater Canal to the south.

Contractor Rowlinson and developer Peel want to build 164 flats next to the rail viaduct at the St George’s end of the island for the ‘Pomona Wharf’ scheme.

There will also be car parking, concierge, landscaping work, a gym, cycle storage and a ‘green’ roof with solar panels.

The flats, designed by Oldham-based Nicol Thomas, will face the Manchester Ship Canal and will be accessed via a railway arch off Hulme Hall Road.

It’s understood Peel will sell the brownfield site to Rowlinson if planning permission is granted by town hall chiefs in Trafford.

The island begins in Castlefield and ends near Manchester United’s Old Trafford ground, acting as a link between Manchester city centre and Salford Quays.

Hulme Hall once stood at the city centre side of the island, but was knocked down in 1845.

The set of five docks were filled in once commercial activity ceased. The patch of land has seen little development, unlike nearby Salford Quays.

During the industrial revolution, the land was home to botanical gardens and the Royal Pomona Palace. Known originally as Cornbrook Strawberry Gardens, it was later renamed after Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit trees.

In the 1880s, the site was surrounded by factories. In 1887 a nearby chemicals plant exploded, damaging the palace and gardens which later closed.

The swinging roadbridge separating Salford Quays from Pomona Docks is now permanently closed.

The Pomona Wharf project would dovetail with the Cornbrook masterplan.

The scheme, to transform the area around Cornbrook tram stop, could see a new hotel and hundreds of flats built. Peel and council bosses want to see it regenerated in a similar way to nearby St George’s.