Derwent Group plans partial demolition of Walkden Town Centre

While details are still being ironed out, the Albert Gubay Charitable Foundation has committed to investing more than £15m in creating a more modern shopping centre with a new façade and green spaces.

The Derwent Group acts on behalf of the foundation’s property portfolio, which includes Walkden Town Centre and the adjacent Walkden Retail Park. The two properties sit between Manchester Road East and Bolton Road in the Salford town.

The group said that it has spent more than £66m on the two shopping complexes over the last 30 years. While Walkden Retail Park is suitable for modern retail needs, there are spaces in Walkden Town Centre that are “outmoded and in an unsuitable configuration”, according to public consultation documents.

To remedy that, the retail units in the Egerton Walk and Victoria Square sections of Walkden Town Centre are set to be razed, replaced with public realm and newer stores. The public realm will be for temporary use as The Derwent Group brainstorms the best use for the space.

Aerial view of the proposed changes at Walkden Town Centre. Credit: via consultation documents

RGP Architects is working alongside The Derwent Group on designing the plans. A public consultation on the project concludes Sunday, but is light on specific details regarding the amount of square footage to be demolished. Those details will be found in the future planning application, which The Derwent Group hopes to submit later this month.

If planning permission can be secured from Salford City Council in February 2024, the group will look to appoint a contractor in July of that year and complete the project in November 2025.

In the meantime, you can access the public consultation at: walkdentowncentre.co.uk/development.