Trafford Council has put 1.7 acres of prime development land in Hale Barns - on the site of a former residential care home - up for sale.

Oaklands Court, on Shay Lane, closed it doors for the last time in July last year despite the objections of many users and their families.

It followed a five-week consultation with residents at the 44-bed facility - that also acted as a respite unit for about 70 Trafford residents.

At the time of going to press nobody from Trafford Council was available for comment, but a sign at the site invites interested applicants to contact the council's estates team.

The notice explains the site is a freehold development for sale by tender' and adds that a similar development use is preferred' but other uses maybe considered subject to planning'.

The announcement seems to have caught property experts in Hale Barns by surprise, despite the closing date for the tender being in less than one month's time.

One estate agent in the village told SAM: "I wasn't aware the land was up for sale and this will certainly create a big fuss. I would have thought the best process would have been to auction the land rather than put it up for tender."

Messenger understands any money received from the sale would be classed as a 'pure capital receipt' and would go into a central pot rather than being reinvested directly into social care.

A Hale Barns property expert told SAM that, due to the size of the land, a developer could build up to six detached houses on the site and estimated their combined value could be more than £9million.

But he added: "This is obviously very speculative and it's all dependent on location, design and planning."

Trafford council said last year that it would have had to spend £500,000 to bring Oaklands, a 1960s built facility, up to standard while at the time there were 21 vacant beds.

During last year's consultation process Trafford's former executive member for community services, Councillor Ian Mullins, told SAM: "I'm recommending that Oaklands will close because we don't need it."

Trafford's deputy director of social services Anne Higgins added: "The overall fact is that less and less people are choosing residential care - their preference is to remain at home."

What do you think? Post your comments below.