Developers behind 'unsafe and unsecure' buildings blighting Old Trafford could soon face enforceable action

A major assessment of ‘unsafe, unfinished and empty’ property developments within Old Trafford is to be undertaken by Trafford Council.

The council has said it will consider taking possible enforcement action in a bid to address serious issues at seven developments within Clifford and Longford.

The developments, which have been identified as having either poor construction, incomplete works, substandard cladding or substantial fire damage, include the Empress Mill and Trafford Press and Veno buildings on Chester Road.

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Earlier this week, both Empress Mill and Trafford Press buildings, as part of the Orchard Point development site, were sold for £1.5 million at auction by commercial property auctioneers Acuitus. The 2.10 Acres site was sold as a 'rare development opportunity', with historic planning consents granted for 200 flats and commercial accommodation.

Units at Empress Mill, which is situated just minutes away from Old Trafford stadium, had sold for an average price of around £85,000 when the development was first announced back in 2011. But leaseholders told the M.E.N two years ago the units they had invested in were inhabitable.

Made up of 116 one and two-bedroom apartments, leaseholders said the building had been plagued with leaking roofs, mould, exposed electrical wires and a dodgy gas connection. In the wake of the Grenfell Tower fire, regulators in 2018 found the building to be without proper fire protection and was deemed unsafe.

In 2021, Empress Mill leaseholders spoke how they were still having to pay mortgages on units despite the building being boarded up and inaccessible. One said: "We have invested in something that