THE former headquarters of the Trafford Liberal Democrats is being sold to make way for new houses.

The Timperley Taverners on Park Road has been bought by Landmark Property Group, which plans to build ‘much needed’ houses on the site.

The site has been owned by Altrincham and Sale Liberals since the late 1960s and was run as a members-only social club from 1985, supporting a number of sports, education and charity organisations.

The site has also served as the base of operations for local Liberal and Lib Dem activists for decades.

Now, thanks to a decline in demand for members-only licensed premises, the Altrincham and Sale branch of the Lib Dems are looking to ‘move with the times’ and the search is on for a new base of operations.

Timperley Taverners trustee and former Lib Dem councillor Brenda Ackroyd said: “Liberal Democrats can be extremely proud of the Timperley Taverners legacy. The club was founded on sound principles of community activism.

“It has added real value to Timperley over several decades. We might be moving with the times, but we’re taking those community values with us and we’re excited for what comes next.”

Landmark Property Group are located in Altrincham and have a focus on developments in the surrounding area.

They have worked on a number of award-winning schemes in Timperley, such as Wellington Gardens and The Acres, and are due to reach completion of Brook Gardens in the coming weeks.

Landmark representative Konrad Keller said: “We’re extremely pleased to have completed the acquisition of the Timperley Taverners. Timperley is not only a village that is close to our offices, but we have also developed several significant sites in the area.

“We are excited to bring forth our proposals for the redevelopment of this landmark site. We’ve worked closely with the board of trustees for the Timperley Taverners and understand that we have a duty of care and responsibility in ensuring we deliver a high-quality development that is sympathetic to the area, as well as providing well needed homes for Trafford Council.”

Longstanding Timperley Lib Dem councillor and former MEP Jane Brophy said: “As Lib Dems, we are excited for new opportunities to embed our community values into new projects. Landmark are a developer who understand Timperley and that is really important to us as local activists.

“We’ve seen the value they’ve added to Timperley through recent projects. We’re a community focused party and we’re determined that our new HQ will reflect the year-round hard work that we do in Timperley and beyond.”

The site's location, less than a minute’s walk from Timperley Metrolink, is not without its challenges for its new developer.

Mr Keller said: “The site is unusual in that the topography is significantly lower than the level of the main road, but as a forward-thinking developer, we don’t shirk from challenges and enjoy the process of finding suitable solutions for complex sites.”