AURA COURT, Stretford Road, Manchester

Welcome to the Aura Court Website

Keeping Residents and Leaseholders Informed

Welcome to the Aura Court Website, which has been created to act as a conduit for Leaseholders and Tenants.

It is designed to act as an information hub on progress of the Cladding Replacement project and general upgrades happening around the building.

This page enables leaseholders and residents to contact Edgerton Estates with any queries they may have in relation to the Cladding Scheme. A.P Sheehan & Co have been retained by Edgerton Estates, to act as Project Lead and have also been assisting with the monitoring of some of the general building maintenance elements. They have taken space in Aura Court Business Centre and set up a project office. APS are happy to act as an information hub in terms of Cladding Scheme activity and general works instructed by Edgerton Estates. They do not however, perform the managing agent function.

There are two main tabs - one relating to General Building Maintenance and the second specific to the Cladding Scheme, which supported by a grant from Homes England, will allow a project team led by A.P Sheehan & Co Ltd, to facilitate the replacement of cladding and the lifting of the Regulatory Reform Order in the affected parts. APS has also been asked to oversee the general works. It is APS who suggested that a website will be the most effective way of keeping leaseholders and tenants informed. APS have a Cladding Scheme project office in Aura Court and will be on hand most days within the building,

The third tab is for Messages and allows for ease of communication to ask questions about the building in general and the Cladding Project., It is not an conduit for service charge and ground rent queries, as these are handled directly as usual by Edgerton Estates.

The Building - General Information

Aura Court is a combination of business centre on the ground floor and 47 x two bed apartments, the latter surrounding an internal courtyard.

Situated on Stretford Rd in Trafford, it lies in a position which is highly sustainable and on the fringe of Manchester City centre. It benefits from the fact that it is only a 5 minute walk to Cornbrook tram stop which is the only Metrolink stop connecting to every other station on the Greater Manchester Metroilink network.

The building was acquired from Compton's in 2023 by Edgerton Estates and although there was a lull in activity following the transfer, Edgerton Estates is now fully engaged with the Council, the Fire Service and Homes England, to remedy defects in the building.

Significant enabling works have been undertaken in recent weeks, specifically to make safe the part of the building which is subject to a Regulatory Reform Order. This was placed on the building by Manchester Fire Service when under the ownership and management of Comptons. It is effectively a prohibition to occupy due to fire safety reasons. These were the result of a combination in the change in regulations following the Grenfell fire disaster, a reported lack of maintenance on the timber decking on the stairwell. and lacking active management within the building by the freeholder at the time.

The works have been essential to ensure that the atrium area is safe and secure. The are a temporary solution, acting as enabling works, to allow for safe movement around this part of the building, so that the project team of retained consultants and potential contractors can assess the area in readiness for full remedial works and replacement of the cladding system. the level of works is significant and has made the entire area secure, accessible and fire safe.

November Update

The arrchitects have almost completed the plans and an intrusive inspection for them and Trafford Council's Building Control Team is being arranged.

The anticipation is for the team to go out to tender to contractors in December.

Learn more

October Update

The building was visited and an walkaround organised for members of Homes England and Trafford Council. the group were able to inspect the enabling works undertaken, to effect safe access for the Cladding Scheme consultants.

The architects are on with digitalising original hard copies of the building plans.

Learn more

September Update

Forthcoming Actions

Now that the Project Team are all signed up, the Architects and fire engineers are meeting on 5th September to discuss the project ancd get the design work underway. The building 'as built' drawings are finished and the Council have provided other drawings undertaken by their architects on the atrium element. this will help speed up the process, the intention being to pass building regs as soon as possible and lift the RRO.

These drawings will dovetail into the executive architects overall package and work will now begin in earnest to put together the overall package to go out to tender to contractors.

The block manager has noticed that the bin store gate has been broken again and items other than rubbish olaced in the area. Can tenants please ensure that this stops, as management do not wish to review CCTV and charge tenants for removal of such.

EE has now received an enforcement notice as a result of the GMFRS - Inspection - 9th July. There were 5 main items, some of which tennats can assist with.

Tenants must now store bicycles on stairwells and corridors. these act as barriers to escape routes. Any bikes found will need to be removed.
Other items such as prams and clothes dryers outside of apartment front doors are not permitted for the same reason.
The Fire Risk Assessment is out of date and Hydrock have been instructed to prepare an update report to cover the residential areas and a separate report for the ground floor commercial.
Certain minor works to the turrets electricity cabinets are required and the workmen have been instructed to undertake such.
Regular testing of all systems is required to be evidenced, although all smoke detection systems are operating well. Regular testing has been put in place.

August Update

Pleased to welcome Hydrock Fire Engineers and 1618 Architects to the team

The Project Team apointed both Hydrock and 1618 architedcts to finish off the professional team and to begin works on pulling the designs and teneder together.

5 architects were approached and with the national fire engineers and planning consultants in place, the balance was finally tipped in 1618 Architects' favour, as they are a Manchester based firm. We went for two national and three local firms.

Also - the EWS-1 form has been uploaded to the website, for Leaseholder benefit and the fire risk advice booklet updated. Leaseholder - please ensure your tenants are signposted to a copy or provided with a hard copy.

July 2024 Update

Fire Inspections on 8th and 9th July

On 8th July, the local Fire station dropped in unnanounced to undertake their 6-monthly fire inspection. The team inspected the Atrium and the Business Centre. The overriding concern was the ongoing risk to the overall building and to check whether defects identified in the Business Centre had been appropriately addressed. They were satisfied that all issues on both had been suitably addressed and departed with no outstanding concerns.

GMFRS - Inspection - 9th July

A day later, an arranged inspection was carried out by a senior fire officer and a colleague. Their overriding concern was to ensure that the building was constructed in a fashion whereby the residential areas were sufficiently protected from the Ground Floor commercial space, in the event of fire. In this regard they were satisfied.

An inspection of the common parts of the occupied residential areas identified some remedial works to sevice cupboards, together with the required replacement of two compromised apartment doors in apartments curently unoccupied. Those leaseholders will be contacted directly, to ensure that the doors are replaced.

All smoke alarms were checked and performed as designed. Two blockages to the passageways were identified, namely a bike strapped to the banister and a child's pram in the corridor. We have been asked to convey the note that these areas must be kept clear at all times.

We are awaiting the note from GMFRS, with the list of required works from their perspective and will ensure that these are carried out in accordance with their instructions.

Such a note will invariably be sent as an enforcement notice, no matrer how long the list of required remedial works. Edgerton Estates will comply in a timely fashion and ensure that any identified issues are remedied.

Homes England Contacted by Leaseholders

APS & Co has been informed by the Client Side Representative for Homes England that two leaseholders have made direct contact with them, concerned that funds allocated by Homes England to Edgerton Estates for the Cladding Project are being inappropriately used to improve the entire building.

The Freeholder has asked for a note to be set out on the website, confirming that no Homes England monies have been inappropriately spent on the rest of the building and that any relevant works will be re-charged to Leaseholders, as is normal business practice.

Edgerton Estates will be sending out itemised invoices shortly for such works and will be grateful if these are paid in a timely fashion.

Forthcoming Improvements

Quotes are being gathered for an overhaul of the Turret access common parts. Whilst the entrance / Fire doors have been replaced and varnished, the Turrets themselves are in need of a repaint and recarpeting. Once funds for the last round of improvements have been recovered, EE will turn attention to the Turrets.

AURA COURT - Manchester