The contractor saw off competition from Domis, GMI and HG Construction to take the first major build to rent phase for the Bruntwood–Trafford joint venture, known as Plot 2A.

The £60m win puts Graham in a strong position to pick up further work on the wider £175m pipeline covering two additional plots still to be procured.

Plot 2A will deliver a 249-flat build-to-rent block with 200 sq m of ground floor commercial space, forming the centrepiece of the wider town centre regeneration.

The scheme involves clearing a chunk of the ageing 1960s shopping centre to make way for a 10-storey square residential block arranged around a landscaped courtyard.

Graham will initially work under a pre-construction services agreement to finalise the design and lock down the contract sum before moving to a full build contract.

The council has flagged a further £115m of work behind this phase, including Plot 2B valued at £45m and the larger Plot 1 at £70m, with future awards dependent on performance.

Construction is expected to run for just over three years once the full contract is signed, with completion targeted for 2029.

The wider Stretford Mall masterplan will eventually deliver around 800 homes alongside new public realm and retail space, marking the biggest overhaul of the town centre in decades.

The square housing block designed by AHR Architects wraps around a central landscaped park.

The project is the first major element of the wider scheme following the completion of King Street, a reimagined high street for Stretford that involved removing the roof from part of the mall and refurbishing several retail units totaling 86,000 sq ft.

In total, around 800 homes are planned as part of the Stretford Mall redevelopment.