A community consultation is to be held this month to discuss the future of Stretford Mall.
Joint venture partners Trafford Council and Bruntwood Works would like to engage with the local community and will host the second drop-in session on Saturday 25th January from 8am-6pm in Stretford Mall.
The consultation will outline feedback from the first event and provide another chance for local people and groups to share their thoughts on the future of the site.
The first drop-in event, held in November, attracted a large audience who shared feedback on how they wanted the plans to take shape and how it could fulfil the community’s overall priorities for Stretford town centre. Key themes identified included a focus on retaining and attracting more independent businesses, improvements in leisure and shopping facilities and a need to make the area more accessible in the evenings.
The redevelopment of Stretford Mall is part of Trafford Council’s wider Stretford Masterplan. Earlier this year, the scheme successfully made it through to the second round of the Government’s £675m Future High Streets Fund (FHSF).
The fund, launched by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in December 2018, is designed to support and fund local areas’ plans to make their high streets and town centres fit for the future.
Following feedback from the drop-in session, the joint partners will also be presenting broader ideas for the wider Stretford Masterplan for visitors to share their views on. Community feedback from the event will help to inform and support the FHSF’s bid.
Cllr Andrew Western, Trafford Council leader, said: “We’d like to thank everybody who participated in our first drop-in session in November. It was great to hear people’s enthusiasm for Stretford and the Mall. Everyone accepts that change must happen and we are determined that the community should be included in the debate about how we deliver these improvement changes for the Mall and the wider masterplan.”
Trafford Council and Bruntwood Works are committed to working closely with the local community to ensure the successful and sustainable regeneration.
Andrew Cooke, Regional Director for Manchester at Bruntwood Works, said: “We are proud to be in partnership with Trafford Council and together we have a fantastic opportunity to breathe new life into Stretford Mall and help it reach its full potential. Town centres are at the heart of our local communities and are critical to the overall success of our cities, by investing in them we can create vibrant, interesting places that attract a range of people to want to live, work and play.
“In order to transform Stretford we need to engage as many people as possible in the early stages of the process. We look forward to hearing more from the local community and continuing discussions to ensure their views are factored into the exciting plans that will shape their town centre.”
As part of the consultation, Bruntwood Works and Trafford Council would like to invite people to bring along pictures, newspaper clippings or words that represent their favourite memories of Stretford, which will be used to create a memory wall for the local community within the Mall.
The drop-in session will take place within Stretford Mall, between 8am – 6pm on Saturday 25th January 2020. Once again members of the project team will be available to answer questions at the event.
