Altrincham office-to-resi boom continues at Kingsway

In the latest residential conversion in the town centre, plans have been put forward to overhaul a 18,000 sq ft grade two-listed office on Kingsway into 15 apartments.

Developer Rusholme Garden Investment has submitted an application for the building which sits between Kingsway and Post Office Street, and within the Old Market Place conservation area.

Along with fully renovating the upper floors, the proposals also include a new-build extension, which will replace 1970s additions to the listed building to the rear. A series of improvements are proposed for the existing façade while a dated shopfront along Kingsway is to be removed.

The building was bought by MCR Property Group in 2017 for £1.4m, in a deal advised by Regional Property Solutions.

In a planning statement, the developer’s consultant Plan8 said: “There is a shortage of housing within Trafford and the wider North West. The use as employment is no longer suitable at this location. Alternative business uses would either conflict with residential amenity or spatial priorities.

“There are sufficient business units within established areas and emerging business parks. This site offers limited employment at present and will only offer limited, if any, employment in the future; the site does not offer a strong contribution to employment land supply.

“The change of use will assist in enhancing the vitality and viability of the town centre by ensuring more people are in the town in the evenings and on weekends.”

The plans are the latest in a series of office-to-residential conversions in the town centre; several have already been completed on Stamford New Road, while other conversions are also proposed near Altrincham Retail Park at the former Lloyds Bank building.