Election raises questions over £65m Sale town centre revamp

Developer Maloneview is hopeful of bringing forward the £65m redevelopment of Sale town centre following Trafford’s local elections, although the project is already running around six months behind schedule.

The proposed overhaul of the town centre, designed by architect SimpsonHaugh, include a partial demolition of the existing The Square shopping centre, and replacing it with a six-screen cinema, up to 37,000 sq ft of retail and leisure, and as many as 205 residential units.

Maloneview had originally hoped to have a planning application prepared and submitted by the end of last year, following a public consultation in November, but progress has been slow with the developer understood to be waiting for the outcome of Trafford’s local elections earlier this month.

The council’s Conservative leadership was believed to be a keen supporter of the development but with a number of schemes set to be reviewed after the party lost its majority, it is expected a planning application will not be submitted until the council’s leadership situation is finalised.

Andrew Western, leader of Trafford’s Labour party and incoming leader of the council, has already pledged to review the proposals for a training ground for Salford FC and new pitches on Turn Moss.

Western, who will head up the council based on a confidence-and-supply arrangement with the Liberal Democrats, has also already promised a “brownfield first” approach to development, focussed around Trafford Park, and said proposals for homes on green belt would be reviewed.

The original timescale for the Sale project was to have a planning application approved by this spring with construction starting later in the year, and completion in 2021.

Maloneview has owned the site for around 10 years, with its plot of land stretching from The Square to Hereford Street.

The developer, Maloneview, was also understood to have an option in place to purchase Dominion House, home to the Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors, but this agreement has since been terminated with the institute expected to remain in place for the foreseeable future.

Previous options for the development of the area had included a major retail development on much of The Square and the adjacent land, alongside the replacement of town’s existing Tesco store.

The professional team on the project includes landscape architect Exterior Architecture and planner Barton Willmore.

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