FIRST AFFORDABLE HOUSING SCHEME COMPLETES AT TRAFFORD WATERS

The 100% affordable development significantly exceeds the planning policy affordable housing requirement and has led to multi-million-pound investment into the local economy.

Pearson Place, the first fully affordable housing development at Trafford Waters, has officially reached practical completion, marking a major milestone in the creation of a new residential-led quarter within TraffordCity, one of Greater Manchester’s most transformational regeneration programmes.

Delivered for L&Q, by Greater Manchester based contractor Rowlinson, all 83 apartments within Pearson Place are offered through the Rent to Buy model, ensuring it is a 100% affordable development and significantly exceeding the planning policy affordable housing requirement through effective use of Homes England and Recycled Capital Grant Fund support.

The development comprises of two brick-clad apartment buildings offering 52 one-bedroom homes and 31 two-bedroom homes, at an equivalent to 80% of market rent. Through the Rent to Buy approach, residents benefit from reduced rents while saving towards a deposit, providing a clear and achievable pathway to home ownership within a few years.

To keep upfront costs as low as possible for residents, each home is delivered fully turn-key, with a specification that far exceeds typical Rent to Buy standards. Every apartment includes:
• White goods (oven, hob, extractor, fridge-freezer, washer/dryer)
• All floor coverings
• Oak veneer entrance doors
• Generous private balconies
• Aluminium windows with double or acoustic glazing

In addition to each homeowner having their own private outdoor space, the development has large, open-air communal areas for neighbours to enjoy and socialise in. The landscaped setting includes 68 new trees, enhanced planting and seating areas with picnic benches and large lawned areas. 83 secure cycle spaces have been created alongside 20 car parking spaces, including two onsite EV charging bays and one disabled parking bay. Future residents will also benefit from Trafford Waters close proximity to both the Metrolink and bus station located at The Trafford Centre.

Pearson Place is a gas-free, fabric-first development utilising air source heat pumps, for hot water to the building with electrical temperature-controlled panel heaters, as well as PV solar panels that will power communal services and Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR). These built-in energy-efficient technologies reduce running costs and carbon impact, strengthening both environmental and financial sustainability. Environmental sustainability has been of upmost importance to Rowlinson throughout the build, with 99.78% of site waste recycled or recovered.

Social value was deeply embedded throughout the delivery of Pearson Place ensuring that the project generated lasting benefits for the local community. A wide range of individuals gained valuable insight into construction careers, including work experience and T Level Student placements and apprenticeships both with Rowlinson and their sub-contractors, as well as a trainee quantity surveyor, who worked on the development alongside their degree-level studies, now permanently employed as an Assistant QS. The construction firm also ran a bespoke programme for children outside of mainstream schools to help build confidence, raise aspirations and introduce alternative career pathways in the construction sector.

Peel Waters’ long-term commitment to creating inclusive, high-quality neighbourhoods

As regeneration specialists behind both the Trafford Waters masterplan and the wider TraffordCity vision, Peel Waters has set a strong precedent with the delivery of Pearson Place, ensuring affordable homes were part of the first phase of homes delivered within the emerging district. The scheme reflects Peel Waters’ long-term commitment to creating inclusive, high-quality neighbourhoods that support community cohesion with Pearson Place complementing the neighbouring Trafford Waters Care Home which was the first development to complete and open at Trafford Waters.

Through the £14m build of Pearson Place, £5.8 million has been invested by L&Q and Rowlinson with suppliers located within 10.5 miles of site, supporting local economic growth. This means over £1.6billion has been invested into TraffordCity by Peel and its development partners to date, and there is a further £2.6 billion of investment in the development pipeline over the next 20 years.

With outline planning permission for 3,000 new homes, an on-site primary school, new hotels and 20 acres of accessible public realm at Trafford Waters, Pearson Place stands as a defining early milestone for the future district.

David Chilton, Chief Executive Officer, Rowlinson said: “This high quality, 100% affordable scheme, set within the emerging Trafford Waters development, is a real win for the community.
“It reflects our partners’ shared commitment to delivering quality-led, turn-key ready homes that support residents’ financial stability in these challenging economic times. We’re keen to see the development come to life as new residents move in.”

Neil Davis, Delivery Director at L&Q, said: “This is such an important development – for the area, for Trafford and for L&Q. We’re proud the scheme is delivering high-quality, 100% affordable homes, offering a path to home ownership in Trafford and we look forward to welcoming the first residents very soon.”

James Whittaker, Managing Director of Peel Waters said: “We’re incredibly proud to see affordable housing forming part of the very first homes delivered at Trafford Waters. From the outset, our vision has been to create a genuinely inclusive neighbourhood that offers a home for everyone, and Pearson Place is a powerful statement of that commitment.
“The scheme sits naturally alongside the neighbouring care home, demonstrating how different housing types can work together to support a balanced, multi generational community. By delivering high quality, affordable homes at this early stage, we’re setting the tone for Trafford Waters as a neighbourhood where people can put down roots at every stage of life, while benefiting from the long term investment and placemaking ambitions for the area.”

To find out more about Pearson Place, please visit: Home – L&Q at Trafford Waters