Affordable homes will have spectacular views of city

The final brick has been laid in a development of 33 new affordable homes in Old Trafford that will have panoramic views of Manchester, although the scheme will take another eight months to complete. A milestone ‘topping out’ ceremony at the Trafford Gardens site by not-for-profit housing provider Irwell Valley Homes has taken place.

The apartment block will have 29 one and two-bedroom apartments and four two-bed townhouses. A wider development of 149 new homes is also available for private sale. The 33 homes delivered by Irwell Valley, working with construction partner Linear Living, will be available for rent-to-buy – with rents at 80 per cent of the market rate.

They will benefit from green technology including mechanical ventilation and heat recovery systems and have the use of a vibrant communal garden which takes inspiration from the former Botanical Gardens which used to stand nearby. Partners from Trafford council including leader Coun Tom Ross, executive member for economy and regeneration Coun Liz Patel, and chief executive Sara Todd, along with Stretford and Urmston MP Andrew Western, joined Irwell Valley Homes and Linear Living to celebrate the final brick being laid in the block.

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Guests were treated to views across the Manchester skyline, which residents will enjoy once the Irwell Valley Homes apartments are completed next May. Irwell Valley Homes is funding the £7m development through its own private finance arrangements, while Linear Living has received £1.69m from Greater Manchester Combined Authority through its Brownfield Land Fund. The wider development is due for completion in late summer 2025.

Sasha Deepwell, chief