L&Q Group Completes 83 Rent-to-Buy Affordable Apartments at Trafford Waters in Greater Manchester

L&Q Group has officially completed the delivery of 83 affordable apartments at Pearson Place, the first fully affordable housing development within the Trafford Waters masterplan in Greater Manchester. The development, built in partnership with Greater Manchester-based contractor Rowlinson, represents a significant milestone in the TraffordCity regeneration programme led by Peel Waters.

All 83 units at Pearson Place are offered through the Rent to Buy model at an equivalent of 80% of market rent, making it a 100% affordable development. The project significantly exceeds local planning policy affordable housing requirements through effective use of Homes England and Recycled Capital Grant Fund support.

Pearson Place: Development Details and Affordable Housing Model

Pearson Place comprises two brick-clad apartment buildings offering 52 one-bedroom homes and 31 two-bedroom homes. Through the Rent to Buy approach, residents benefit from reduced rents while saving toward a deposit, providing a pathway to home ownership within a few years.

To minimise upfront costs for incoming residents, each apartment is delivered move-in ready, including white goods — oven, hob, extractor, fridge-freezer, and washer/dryer — as well as floor coverings, oak veneer entrance doors, private balconies, and aluminium windows with double or acoustic glazing.

In addition to private outdoor space for each resident, the development features large, open-air communal areas for neighbours to enjoy and socialise in, a design feature intended to foster community within the emerging district.

Sustainability and Social Value Embedded Throughout Delivery

Pearson Place is a gas-free, fabric-first development. Heating and hot water are provided through air source heat pumps, supplemented by electrical temperature-controlled panel heaters. The buildings also feature photovoltaic solar panels powering communal services and Mechanical Ventilation with Heat Recovery (MVHR) systems.

Social value was deeply embedded throughout the delivery of Pearson Place. L&Q Group and Rowlinson invested £5.8 million with suppliers located within 10.5 miles of the site, supporting local economic growth in the Greater Manchester area.

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."

David Chilton, Chief Executive Officer of 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."

Trafford Waters Masterplan and Broader TraffordCity Vision

Pearson Place sits within the larger Trafford Waters masterplan, which carries outline planning permission for 3,000 new homes, an on-site primary school, new hotels, and 20 acres of accessible public realm. Peel Waters, the regeneration specialist behind both the Trafford Waters masterplan and the wider TraffordCity vision, positioned affordable housing as part of the very first phase of homes delivered within the emerging district.

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."

Whittaker added that the scheme sits alongside a neighbouring care home, "demonstrating how different housing types can work together to support a balanced, multi-generational community," and that delivering high-quality affordable homes at this early stage sets the tone for Trafford Waters "as a neighbourhood where people can put down roots at every stage of life."