Property round-up: Trafford Waters; Edenfield; Salix Homes; BT; FIREM; Kellen Homes; Costa Coffee
Waterside regeneration specialist, Peel Waters, has marked a milestone moment for Trafford Waters as the first residential development has reached practical completion.
Specialist healthcare developer, Montpelier Estates and construction contractor Rowlinson, have delivered the 85-bed care home at the Trafford Waters site which sits on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal within TraffordCity, Manchester.
The construction milestone ties in with the announcement of the multi-award-winning care provider Tanglewood taking over the future operation and management of the care home..
An on-site hair salon, cinema, library and gardens have been created as part of the residential development, as well as a bistro café which members of the public, along with local community groups, will also be able to use, encouraging further multi-age interaction and socialising.
These new homes by Montpelier Estates, along with L&Q’s affordable development which is currently under construction and X1 Developments’ residential scheme which will be starting on site later this year, all form part of the first phase of 376 residential properties to be built at Trafford Waters.
Peel Waters secured outline planning permission for the new waterside district which sits within TraffordCity in December 2018 and will see the delivery of 3,000 new homes, an on-site primary school, new hotels and 20 acres of open space to improve health, wellbeing and access to nature.
Since the outline planning permission was secured, Peel Waters have completed phase one infrastructure work, valued at £8m, which provides access to Trafford Waters via Trafford Way and Redclyffe Road, connecting the emerging residential district to the wider TraffordCity retail and leisure destination.
James Whittaker, managing director of Peel Waters, said: “We are very proud to see the first homes at Trafford Waters reach practical completion. This is both a major construction milestone and a significant achievement for the delivery of this new residential district and community we’re creating within TraffordCity.”
Anna Ciesielska, director of Montpelier Estates, said: “We are immensely proud to have delivered this new care home into this first phase of Trafford Waters. The home will provide a significant element of the infrastructure of the new community and widens the range of local amenities.”
David Chilton, managing director of Rowlinson, said: “Demand is far outstripping supply in terms of high quality later living solutions, so we’re thrilled to have built this first residential scheme at the Trafford Waters development which is directly helping to increase choice.”
Interest in the Trafford Waters Care Home has already started prior to opening, with Tanglewood running an active enquiry list and viewings already taking place. The first residents of the care home and Trafford Waters are expected to move in by early summer 2025.
Pic shows L-R: Peter Linstead (Peel Waters), David Chilton, Ellie Wibberley (care home manager), Mick Gamble (Montpelier), James Whittaker
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CGI of Edenfield
Northstone, the Trafford City-based housebuilder and part of Manchester developer Peel, has secured full planning permission for a sustainable residential development in Edenfield on land acquired from Peel Land; delivering 50 new homes alongside a suite of community-focused benefits and environmental enhancements.
The scheme includes a broad mix of new homes ranging from one- to five-bedrooms across a variety of property types including apartments, townhouses, semi-detached and detached homes, as well as single-storey bungalows and three-storey family houses.
All homes will be bespoke and constructed to Northstone’s exacting standards, with distinctive features such as natural stone facades, premium slate-effect roof tiles, bespoke window sizing, traditional sill details and architectural quoins.
The development includes a new car park and amenity area. The car park will include dedicated pick-up and drop-off zones, directly linking to Edenfield CE School, and will serve as a key community asset.
The amenity space will also incorporate trails, seating, planting, and nature-based recreational features designed to enhance wellbeing and encourage active lifestyles. In addition, a community garden and a natural play space set within a woodland clearing will further embed the development within its natural setting.
The scheme is designed to deliver 10% Biodiversity Net Gain, supported by the planting of more than 700 new trees both on and off site.
Fifteen of the 50 homes will be delivered as affordable rented housing. With a registered housing provider already in place, these homes can be delivered at pace.
Craig Nutter, Northstone managing director, said: “We are proud to be delivering a scheme that is not only architecturally considered, but genuinely community-focused and environmentally responsible.”
Richard Knight, director of planning and strategy at Peel Land, said: “We are really pleased that Northstone’s plans will now move into delivery, bringing a wide range of community and environmental benefits, delivering on the approved Edenfield Masterplan and creating a positive legacy for the local area.”
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Artist’s impression of Arrow Street scheme
Construction work has begun on a highly sustainable social housing development designed exclusively for older people in Salford.
Housing association, Salix Homes, is working alongside main contractor, Caddick, to build a 69-home ‘independent living scheme’ for the over 55s on disused land on Arrow Street in Broughton.
The development is being built to Passivhaus standards and also incorporates a doctors’ surgery for NHS Greater Manchester, which will be a valuable addition to the community.
Passivhaus is the leading low-energy design standard, providing homes which offer high thermal comfort and improved air quality, enabling a healthier living environment as well as lower energy bills.
Liam Turner, Salix Homes CEO, said: “We’re incredibly excited to begin construction on this innovative new housing development and to work alongside our partners Caddick Construction, OMI Architects, Homes England and NHS Greater Manchester, to bring our shared vision to life. This project represents the future of older people’s housing – delivering homes that are desirable, sustainable, and better meet the needs and aspirations of the older generation.”
The three-storey scheme includes 66 one-bedroom apartments and three two-bedroom apartments. Eleven of the apartments will be specifically designed to cater for residents with extra-mobility needs, including wheelchair access.
The development also includes new, modern premises for Mocha Parade GP practice. The practice has been operating from temporary accommodation on the edge of its practice boundary since its original site was demolished in 2020 as part of local redevelopment. The new facility will bring it back into the heart of the community, expanding from three to five clinical rooms and supporting future growth.
Dave Saville, regional managing director at Caddick Construction North West, said: “Caddick’s experience in building Passivhaus developments makes us a perfect fit for Salix Homes’s new scheme and we, alongside our local supply chain partners, look forward to delivering this fantastic scheme on Arrow Street.”
Philip Etchells, associate director at OMI Architects, said: “It has been a pleasure working with Salix Homes and the rest of the design team in getting the Arrow Street project to this stage and we are excited about now getting this innovative Passivhaus scheme into construction.”
Anna Ganotis, head of primary care (Salford), NHS Greater Manchester, said: “We welcome this much-needed development, which will provide a modern, fit-for-purpose site for residents and support the health and wellbeing of the community.”
Salix Homes, which owns 8,000 homes across Salford, secured grant funding from Homes England through its Affordable Homes Programme to help fund the development, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2026.
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Four New Bailey
BT has announced the opening of its new multimillion-pound office in the heart of Manchester. The opening of Four New Bailey is the final step in BT Group’s five-year, UK-wide ‘Better Workplace’ transformation programme, which set out to consolidate the company’s office spaces from around 300 to closer to 30 key locations.
Four New Bailey will house up to 2,000 colleagues from across BT Group and has been fitted with modern technology. It also boasts a rooftop terrace offering panoramic views of the city’s skyline.
Sitting on the banks of the River Irwell, it replaces BT’s former office site in Deansgate and adds to the company’s other North West locations in Liverpool, Accrington and Warrington.
Visiting Manchester to mark the opening of the office, Allison Kirkby, BT Group chief executive, said: “The opening of our new Manchester office is a significant milestone on the journey to transform BT and our office spaces around the UK.
“The broader economic effect from our offices, our people and our spend with UK suppliers is worth £23bn to the nation’s economy and beyond our own people we support around 212,000 jobs in the wider UK economy.”
Sue Glew, BT Group’s better workplace programme director, said: “Despite facing external challenges such as Covid and global supply chain issues, we’ve given our colleagues multiple new or refurbished workspaces, from Plymouth to Dundee, including a brand new HQ in London and new regional hubs.”
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CGI of Wrexham 1M
Commercial real estate firm, FI Real Estate Management (FIREM), has appointed agents Cushman & Wakefield, Legat Owen and B8 Real Estate to market two of its landmark employment sites, Wrexham 1M and Wrexham 152.
Set in the heart of Wrexham Industrial Estate, the second largest industrial estate in the UK, Wrexham 1M and Wrexham 152 offer one million sq ft and 152,000 sq ft of high quality industrial and logistics space, respectively. With best-in-class specifications, the sites are now being launched to market with flexible leasehold opportunities.
A design and build opportunity, on completion Wrexham 1M is set to create 1,000 jobs and act as a catalyst for significant economic growth in the region. In total, Chorley-based FIREM has invested more than £136m in Wrexham Industrial Estate in the past two decades.
The two sites were recently announced as part of the Flintshire and Wrexham Advanced Manufacturing Investment Zone, which came into effect in April 2025, and will attract £1bn of private sector investment and create 6,000 jobs.
Through the Investment Zone, Wrexham 1M is expected to deliver up to £27m in savings over the first five years of occupation, while Wrexham 152 will provide up to £4m in savings over the same period. These savings will be realised through tax relief, business rate discounts, and reduced regulatory barriers.
Wrexham 1M is being developed by the firm’s in-house construction arm, FI Developments, and future occupiers will benefit from a bespoke fit-out, alongside secured power up to 5MW, 50KN/M2 floor loadings, 115 dock levellers, 27-euro dock and level access doors, building heights of 20m to haunch and 154 HGV/trailer spaces.
The site is targeting an EPC A rating and BREEAM Excellent certification and sits within 30 acres of ecology and wellbeing areas. It will also offer solar panel-ready roofs, EV parking spaces, rainwater harvesting and a cycle store for active travel to the site.
Wrexham Industrial Estate is home to more than 340 businesses, including national occupiers JCB, Kellogg’s, and Very Group making it a prime location for innovative businesses.
Tim Knowles, managing director and founder of FI Real Estate Management, said: “Wrexham 1M is a landmark addition to our portfolio, expanding our industrial estate footprint in Wrexham to over 3.1 million sq ft. Its strategic location offers a tailored solution for companies looking to scale up or establish their presence in North Wales.”
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Mill Vale site visit
Kellen Homes has handed over the keys to the final homes on its Mill Vale development in Middleton to partners Sigma Capital Group and First Choice Homes Oldham (FCHO).
Last week the Warrington-based housebuilder and the housing providers visited the site to officially mark the milestone completion and hand over.
A total of 144 new houses have been completed for the partners comprising 45 affordable two-, three- and four-bedroomed homes for First Choice Homes Oldham and 99 ‘built-to-rent’ two- and three-bedroomed properties for Sigma’s Simple Life Homes.
The remaining 167 homes on the site have been available to buy on the open market through Kellen Homes.
Eleanor Frith, head of land and partnerships for Kellen Homes, said: “It is an important part of the Kellen Homes mission to collaborate with partners and bring forward affordable and mixed tenure homes. We are focused on creating communities that meet the needs of local people. Mill Vale is a superb development that has been incredibly popular because of the quality of homes and the great location.”
Nick Anderson, head of development at FCHO, said: “This substantial development is a good example of FCHO’s work to offer family homes across a range of tenures and sizes to meet both housing needs and make home ownership possible for more people.”
Jason Berry, regional managing director at Sigma, said: “The quality of the homes, the superb location and the benefits of renting from a Build to Rent landlord has proven extremely popular, with all our Simple Life homes let or reserved.”
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New Winsford Costa Coffee site
Costa Coffee has opened its new Drive-Thru store at Winsford Gateway.
The store has created 10 jobs and features both indoor and outdoor seating, offering a relaxed space for customers.
Helen Bailey, area manager at Costa Coffee, said: “We’re thrilled to be opening our new Drive-Thru Costa Coffee store in Winsford Gateway.
“It’s a fantastic location with a growing community, and we’re proud to be bringing both great coffee and new job opportunities to the area.”
