Trafford Waters scheme wriggles through Gateway 2 bottleneck
Clearance has been given by the Building Safety Regulator for Anchor Residency’s 208 homes, triggering an immediate start onsite.
Bridgestone Construction is working with Rotheo on the £37m project. Gateway 2 approval for the scheme within Peel Waters’ Trafford Waters masterplan area follows hot on the heels of the partnership clearing the same bar for the Nexus House PBSA development in Salford.
Located within the 53-acre Trafford Waters district, the development will deliver a mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments alongside resident amenities.
This will be the first high-rise residential scheme to be built within Trafford Waters and forms part of Peel Waters’ wider vision to create a new mixed-use community delivering up to 3,000 homes, public spaces, employment, community facilities and supporting infrastructure.
A land deal has been agreed between the development team and Peel, which as the area’s landowner took the site through outline planning and securing of Homes England support to fund site infrastructure.
Located adjacent to Trafford Way, the development will comprise buildings of eight and 13 storeys. This is a next step for Trafford Waters, following the completion of affordable housing delivered in partnership with L&Q earlier this year and the opening of Montpelier Estates and Tanglewood Care Homes’ elderly care facility in 2025.
Mark Lyons, managing director at Bridgestone Construction, said: “The Anchor Residency is one of those developments where the scale of the wider vision is immediately apparent. This isn’t just about delivering another apartment building; it’s about contributing to the long-term transformation of one of Greater Manchester’s most exciting growth areas.
“With Peel’s investment, the continued expansion of TraffordCity, the arrival of Therme Manchester and excellent connections to Manchester city centre, the area has all the ingredients to become one of the region’s most desirable places to live.
“We’re proud to be playing our part in that transformation and look forward to delivering a development that will become an important part of Trafford Waters’ continued success.”
James Whittaker, managing director of Peel Waters, said: “The start of construction on The Anchor Residency is another significant step forward for Trafford Waters and demonstrates the continued momentum behind our plans to deliver a vibrant new waterside neighbourhood at TraffordCity.
“This development will provide much-needed new homes and, importantly, will be the first high-rise residential scheme delivered at Trafford Waters. Alongside the affordable homes delivered with L&Q and the recently completed Trafford Waters Care Home, it reflects our commitment to creating a mixed and balanced community that caters for people at every stage of life.
“We’re pleased to be working with Bridgestone Construction to bring forward this important development and look forward to seeing the neighbourhood continue to take shape over the coming years.”
Completion of The Anchor Residency is expected in Autumn 2028.
Other Bridgestone Construction projects include Dock 5 for ForLiving, the recently completed Worrall Street in Salford – a 160-home scheme for Great Places Housing Group – and securing an £18m later living project in Waterloo, Sefton. The company has now helped deliver more than 1,500 new homes.
The firm said that for The Anchor Residency, success has been driven by early collaboration between the development, design and construction teams. Architect Leach Rhodes Walker led the architectural design, supported by Thomas Consulting as structural engineer and Artec as fire engineer.
Dave Hardman, pre-construction director at Bridgestone Construction, said: “Securing Gateway 2 approval for the scheme so soon after achieving approval for our Nexus House accommodation development, is a fantastic achievement for everyone involved. It demonstrates the strength of our preconstruction process and the collaborative relationships we’ve built, our consultant teams and the Building Safety Regulator.
“I’d like to thank Leach Rhodes Walker, Thomas Consulting, Artec and the wider project team for their professionalism and commitment throughout the design process. Their collaborative approach has been instrumental in delivering a coordinated design that successfully met the requirements of Gateway 2.
“Building on our residential track record across Greater Manchester, including Worrall Street and Dock 5, we’re looking forward to bringing the same focus on quality, certainty and delivery to Trafford Waters as construction gets underway.”
Cllr Tom Ross, Leader of Trafford Council, added: “Trafford Council is pleased to have played a part in enabling in the development of TraffordCity and is delighted that construction has started on this superb new neighbourhood. The council is totally committed to providing a range of new and affordable homes across the borough.”
