Stretford is to receive a multi-million pound makeover including waterfront bars, a ‘Makers Yard’ and new homes in the hope of bringing a new lease of life to the Trafford town.
The announcement this week that much of the once-vibrant Stretford Mall building will be demolished to transform the historic King Street area and open up access to the Bridgewater Canal.
While some aspects of the shopping centre will remain, it is set to be a drastic change but one that could ‘re-connect’ the area and people of Stretford.
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The M.E.N spoke to traders and residents in the area today to get a feel for how the plans have gone down - there were those remaining optimistic about what the future could bring and others who feared the area could be about to lose ‘life-saving’ buildings.
Nigel Young runs the Reel Around The Fountain Records store inside Stretford Mall.
It’s basically a Stretford institution at this point - having been named in a song by The Smiths - and has seen renewed interest from younger customers as vinyl has a resurgence.
“I think it’s positive,” Nigel says of the plans.
“We’re up and coming. We’re getting the Chorlton pound coming in this direction."
Nigel doesn't seem too phased by the plans to demolish the majority of the mall., either.
"It’s a s*** tip," he said. “Half the units are empty and it’s the large units that are empty.
“Tesco, Woolies, TJ Hughes and Wilko all went and it was nothing to do with rent - it’s all rates and loss of footfall.”
But he says, thankfully, footfall is not something he really has to struggle with.
“I always say with record shops, it’s men of a certain age,” he explains.
“Their children are older, they have their mortgage paid off. They’d find a record shop if it was halfway up a mountain in a storm.”
In terms of housing, Nigel says there will always be people ‘kicking off’. He points to one recent example regarding the nearby Lacy Street, near to where he lives.
While there are ‘some big houses’ in the area, he says there are lots of smaller houses and people struggling to make ends meet.
“People need places to live,” he adds. “People who are key workers don’t have anywhere to live.”
Will the plans be a success? Nigel says he remains optimistic.
“Stretford is always somewhere you pass though,” he explains. “You always get people who don’t know we’re here. People just pass through if they’re going to the football or whatever.”
Norma Lindsay is out shopping in Stretford and says she thinks the introduction of more bars and cafes could be good if it results in more jobs.
“It’s a good thing in a way,” Norma says. “But whether it would suit everyone, I don’t know.”
She adds: “Young people can’t go into Manchester all the time. If they can go out locally that’s better for them. I always say don’t go into Manchester to my grandson and his girlfriend, you’ve got to be careful.”
She said that the mall is ‘very run down now’ and she hopes that people will start to spend more money to bring it back to life after the pandemic.
“I’d be lost without it,” Norma says. “Where I live there are only about three shops. It’s difficult because I've got arthritis and a bad back.
“There are a lot of empty units and we’ve lost some food shops in the past. I haven’t got a car.
“All these people living around here must be old people, they can’t go to Chorlton. This is a life-saver for people who live near here.”
Lance Hughes describes himself as a ‘Stretford lad’ through and through.
Talking about Stretford Mall, he says: “I remember it before it was about.
“I remember them building this Arndale when I was younger.”
He said that when it was being developed he used to go into the library to look up what Stretford used to look like.
He says he fears the proposals to transform Stretford could result in cutting some residents out as more luxury and pricier venues arrive.
“It will be all down to the price,” he explains.
“Will people be able to afford these bars and these types of luxuries because I don’t think they will be. And I don’t think the area will get any better.”
In fact, he says that by the time the whole development is done, he expects he ‘and a lot of the older ones won’t be here anymore’.
Lance said the mall first opened when he was 16 and he would go whenever his parents would let him. He worked at the shopping centre’s QuickSave store for 10 years.
“Every shop was open and the atmosphere was buzzing,” he reminisced. “It all went downhill with the Trafford Centre.
“Shops shutting down, people not coming in here anymore, it was getting worse and worse and worse. And then Tesco disappeared. They had been here a long long time.”
Lance said he has never set foot in Trafford Centre and has only gone past the outside of it on the bus.
He said: “As far as one is concerned, once you’ve seen one you’ve seen them all.”
A woman, who has worked in the mall for 32 years and asked not to be named, said: “when it first opened it was great.
"It was beautiful, there were all different shops. They’ve lost all the people - either to Urmston and the Trafford Centre is the main reason of course."
Talking about pubs and bars coming, she said: “You’ve got to have the money, haven’t you.
"I like them but you can’t wine and dine all the time.”
Another woman, who called herself Pat, said they like Stretford as it is - or was, even.
"One minute something is there and next it’s not," she said of the empty shops. "It’s pathetic really."
Pam Wilkins said she thinks the plans could mark a positive change for Stretford.
“I think it’s going to look great afterwards,” she says.
“And more jobs, what we need. It’s going to bring business in and create homes and open up the river. I think it’s fabulous.”
While she admits the mall ‘does need modernising’, she said she likes what has been done to the front of it towards McDonalds.
She said she hopes the plans will make the area ‘more entertaining’ and will ‘get people out and socialising’.
The proposals from Trafford council and developers Bruntwood, who co-own the Stretford Mall site, were recommended for approval by Trafford council’s officers.
Around 71 pc of respondents who took part in a consultation phase were said to be in favour of the plans.
Coun Andrew Western, leader of Trafford council, said: “These exciting plans will significantly improve connectivity, create valuable green and open spaces, and special places for people to gather and interact.
“With the high street at the centre of the plans, the masterplan will also help attract local independent businesses and exciting retail and hospitality brands, while hugely enhancing the lives of residents and visitors.
“We are very proud to be giving this incredible scheme the green light.”
What do you make of the plans to rejuvenate Stretford and Stretford Mall? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
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