L&Q looks to sell Circle Court in Stretford
The 16-storey apartment block by the M60 is on the market – with agent CBRE noting its site’s proximity to the Trafford Centre and the not-yet-built Therme and inland surf park.
There is no guide price in place for the freehold of the site.
Built in the 1960s, Circle Court was made up of 121 affordable apartments run by housing provider Trafford Housing Trust. The group said it would relocate the 176 people who lived at Circle Court in 2022. Since then, THT has been fully absorbed by L&Q, which continued moving residents from the block of flats.
The site Circle Court sits on is nearly two acres and is accessed from Barton Road in Stretford. It is directly east of the M60’s Junction 9.
The area directly north of the site has planning permission to become a 147-bed hotel or two apartment blocks, which hints at what this site’s future could be.
Will Atherton, part of CBRE’s UK development and residential team, shared why he thinks the property is a great opportunity for a future buyer.
“The site occupies a highly prominent position in Stretford directly adjoining junction 9 of the M60 motorway.” Atherton said. “Furthermore, it is situated within walking distance of TraffordCity’s vast shopping and leisure provision as well as Barton Dock Road Metrolink Station.”
Circle Court’s location to the Trafford Centre and other attractions is one of its selling points. Credit: CBRE
This is a terrible idea and should be stopped. There is a huge shortage of social housing so why has it been allowed that the tenants were moved out to put move pressure on the available social housing. The sight has spare land so if ir needs rebuilding it should all be redeveloped into additional social housing not flogged off to big business. Andy Burnham blames the right to buy for lack of social housing why is he not putting the blame where it should be on not building enough social housing and selling off plots like this to big business. It’s the same as usual making the rich richer at the expense of our less fortunate members of society.
By Anonymous
Have to agree with the above comments, why isnt this site being redeveloped to provide more modern energy efficient social housing. The site could easily take 200 hundred flats with parking and landscaping and help people get off the waiting list and out of bedsits.
By GetItBuilt!
There are still people living in the flats.
By Anonymous
There seems to still be people living there. My son lived at circle Court for over years 20 just moved to across the road. There’s a huge shortage of housing. It’s not suitable for children or people under 25 . Not suitable for keeping animals.
By Madeline Cadman
In 2019 when L&Q took over THT their press release said:
“The deal has grown out of a long-standing and highly-successful joint venture partnership and will support a long-term ambition to build 20,000 much-needed new homes in the North West”.
It was supposed to bring ‘London Money’ into development in the North West. Now it looks as though the money is going the other way.
By Ram Tailor
I still live here and looking forward to move. Personally I don’t think living next to a motorway is ideal in Summer the heat is unbearable especially living motorway side.Last year I had to stay at a hotel with air con just so I could sleep. The damp throughout the block is dangerous for anyone and there is no ventilation fan or vent in the shower/bathrooms. The building itself should be demolished.
By Kate
The optics are not great but if refurbishing for social housing is not viable, and the sale proceeds can be invested in better located sustainable efficient new homes built to suit today’s requirements where is the problem in this course of action?
By Anonymous
Exactly the sort of thing big London RPs like L&Q have been doing for years – respond to an affordable housing crisis by selling off as much of the land it could be built on as possible, and now they’ve started the same thing here.
It looks a lot like asset stripping, given the historic use as social housing, and the fact that it’s in such a good location being close to key employment sites and transport links, which should really be benefitting tenants on low incomes and not L&Q’s bottom line.
Flats like these are perfectly viable for refurbishment, as has been demonstrated by all the ones MCC sold off in the late 90s/early 2000s like the Pankhurst blocks in Collyhurst or Lakeside Rise in Blackley, and the work now going on to give the Seven Sisters in Rochdale a future.
By Point Blocked
Thought waiting to be emptied and big new hotel going there?
By Anonymous
Glad to see it go
By Chris bushell
Why is everything so low grade? The whole Trafford leisure/entertainment ethos really plumbs tbe depths of crassness and shallowness
By Patrick Symmond
I used to live in this block. Made some excellent friends. Great times, some terrible times as well
By Suzanne Briffa
What a monstrosity this is going to be. I was living on Barton Road when the flats were built and new lots of people who lived there including my brother.
This will impact on Traffic, on homes in Moss Vale Court opposite. If This company feels the need to add more concrete to the area why don’t they do it around the Trafford Centre site instead of adding to the already congested roads.
By linda lane(Bowerman)
fantastic news , en eye sore for trafford
By Anonymous
Why is this happening ? There is no social housing available in Trafford available. The council has recently bought a property on church road urmston . It used to be a doctors surgery. It will be converted into 5 flats for temporary accommodation for the homeless. Also right next door to an old people’s complex. It’s a drop in the ocean as far as I’m concerned when you compare the difference between the size and potential of circle court and the grounds it sits on its a no brainer. Money talks louder than people in desperate need of housing in trafford.
By Jack