Lok’nStore appeals Altrincham refusal 

Trafford Council rejected the self-storage scheme saying it was “incongruous and physically dominating”. Now the developer is seeking to overturn that ruling. 

Lok’nStore wants to build a 95,000 sq ft facility on a one-acre plot on the corner of George Richards Way and Davenport Lane. 

The site is currently occupied by a former Aldi supermarket. Aldi closed the store in 2020 after opening a larger one at Atlantic Retail Park a short distance away. 

In a statement of case submitted ahead of the appeal – for which a date has not yet been set – consultant Rapleys refutes Trafford’s reasons for refusal, saying the proposal “is entirely appropriate in terms of the pattern and scale of established development in the area”. 

It adds that “far from being incongruous and physically dominating within the street scene – it will be a well-considered attractive addition to it”. 

The height of the scheme has been a thorn in the developer’s side since before the planning application was submitted. Following concerns voiced by officers during pre-app discussions, Lok’nStore reduced the height of the building by two metres to 16.8 metres.  

Trafford had also said the development would “adversely impact upon key views” of heritage assets. 

Rapleys says this is not the case, adding that the developer received “no comments from heritage officers” during the planning process “nor any objections from Historic England”. 

To learn more about the project, and read the developer’s appeal statement, search for reference number 106791/FUL/21 on Trafford Council’s planning portal.