LABOUR candidate for Manchester Mayor and Leigh MP Andy Burnham visited the site of a former infamous eyesore in Sale which is being transformed into new homes.

The Maples is now the site of family homes and luxury apartments off Cross Street.

The scheme, on the junction of Cross Street and the A56, was most recently occupied by the Waggon and Horses pub.

The pub closed in early 2003 and quickly fell into disrepair.

It also become subject to frequent incidents of vandalism, arson and illegal flyposting.

The five family homes at The Maples have now all been sold and the 34 apartments will go on sale in September, while 10,000 sq. ft. of retail space completes the scheme.

Delivered by Trafford Housing Trust, all profits from the scheme are used to subsidise the development of other new homes, including affordable housing, mixed-use and assisted living projects.

Edna Robinson, the chair of Trafford Housing Trust, said: “It was good to show Mr Burnham one of our developments, and explain to him how we see our profit-for-purpose approach bringing affordable housing for Trafford residents.

“Over the coming years, we hope to transform housing across the North West, with our partners, and from applying profit-for-purpose.”

Mr Burnham said: “The region needs more affordable homes in places where people want to live, and the trust’s profit-for-purpose approach is allowing them to build developments that are going to help to tackle the housing shortage in Greater Manchester.

“This is an imaginative scheme regenerating disused shops and flats in a popular residential area and demonstrates what can be achieved when developers and housing providers work closely together."

Work at the Cross Street scheme started in 2015, the first of a series of housing and regeneration projects being undertaken by THT’s development brand Laurus across Trafford.

In Greater Manchester alone current supply of new homes is in the region of 4,000 annually, compared with a projected need of over 11,000 per year for each of the next ten years.

The Trust has Development Partner status with the Homes and Communities Agency and was the first housing association to access funding from the £300m Greater Manchester Housing Investment Fund.

Future projects will expand the trust’s footprint beyond Trafford to other parts of Greater Manchester, Cheshire and Derbyshire.