Assura on board as Timperley Library build begins

Trafford Housing Trust and contractor Whitfield & Brown have started work on the £6.5m project with Assura now on board to take on the medical element of the scheme once complete.

Featuring 29 one and two-bedroom apartments over two buildings, the project was first brought forward by Altrincham-based developer Citybranch but has now been handed over to Trafford Housing Trust to develop under its Laurus Homes brand.

One block features 25 apartments over three storeys, while the other includes a medical centre on the ground floor, a community library on the first floor, and four apartments above. Of the 29 apartments, 15 will be offered for open market sale with the remainder available for shared ownership.

Assura has now committed to purchase the medical centre once it completes. Whitfield & Brown is the contractor, and the scheme is set to complete in autumn 2020.

The professional team includes architect AFL, Civic Engineers, and employer’s agent Savills.

Plans for the project were first submitted in 2016 and approved in September of that year. However, the upper floors of the new-build block were changed from office space to affordable units, necessitating the submission of an updated planning application last year.

Graeme Scott, development director at Trafford Housing Trust, said: “Baker Street reflects our commitment to partnership working and building high quality homes and communities. Almost half of the apartments are available through shared ownership, which reflects our aim to get everybody on the housing ladder.”