Linear Living hands over Trafford affordable to Irwell Valley Homes

Two years since the developer took over the stalled Talbot Road site from Investar, work on phase one of the £34m project has concluded.

Linear Living has handed over 33 rent-to-buy homes to housing association Irwell Valley Homes.

The registered provider funded the £7m block of apartments. Linear Design and Construct, Linear Living’s construction arm, is on site delivering the 116 private sale apartments.

The scheme, branded Trafford Gardens, is expected to complete before the end of the year.

Once finished, it will comprise a mixture of one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments across a 13-storey block, as well as a rooftop garden and a private courtyard.

Linear picked up the Tim Groom Architects-designed project in after previous developer Investar collapsed in late 2022. Linear was already attached to the scheme as the contractor at the time.

The development was revived thanks to funding support from Maslow in the form of an £18m loan and a brownfield grant from the GMCA.

JDA Architects was appointed as delivery architect after Investar’s collapse.

Stephen Holmes, chief executive of Linear Living, said: “Completing the first phase of such a high-quality residential development in one of Greater Manchester’s most sought-after locations marks a significant achievement for Linear Living.

“The site’s potential has always been clear to us and we are proud to be delivering a landmark scheme that will raise the bar for residential living in Old Trafford and serve as a benchmark for future developments in the area.”

Sasha Deepwell, chief executive of Irwell Valley Homes, said: “Our homes at Trafford Gardens are available for rent-to-buy – an important tenure which helps people realise their ambitions of home ownership by providing an affordable interim option.

“It is a vital stepping stone which empowers people with the means to be able to save up for a deposit which would otherwise be out of their reach.”