Trafford explores solutions for ‘blighted’ area
Issues resulting from a clutch of stalled and defective developments in Old Trafford are causing “a potential drag on investment” and need to be addressed, according to the council.
Trafford Council is exploring options around enforcing a clean-up of the area, which is “blighted by empty properties and unfinished developments”, according to the authority.
The sites in question are detailed in a report to Trafford Council’s executive:
- Aura Court – the fire escape and stairwell are incomplete and the cladding is ‘substandard’, according to the council. The ground floor is occupied, but “multiple leaseholders [are] unable to occupy their properties”.
- Browning Street – the building suffers from “poor construction”. A Fire Prohibition Notice is in force and the building is unoccupied.
- Former Duckworths Essence Building – the grade two-listed building is “empty and in poor repair”, the council said. The site has planning consent for conversion to a religious establishment.
- 37 Seymour Grove Apartment Block has substandard cladding and is on DLUHC’s watch list. The building is occupied but no remediation plan has been agreed, the council states.
- 5-33 Northumberland Road – while not themselves problematic, the properties are “impaired by adjacent vacant derelict sites”, according to Trafford.
- Empress Mill, Trafford Press and Veno Building – these buildings are incomplete and due to go under the hammer at auction later this week. The sites suffer from various issues including fire damage, and complex title arrangements. Many investors paid deposits for flats within the scheme that have never been built.
Read more about the Empress Mill, Trafford Press, and Veno Building.
“The problem properties are located within a relatively confined corner of Old Trafford and in some cases adjoin each other,” a report to the council’s executive states.
“As a result, the local impact is amplified by the number of empty buildings within this locality. At a time when investment and new developments are spreading from the city centre, these sites act as a potential drag on investment.”
Trafford Council will discuss the next steps when its executive meets next Monday.
