Sale town centre redevelopment set for green light

Maloneview’s proposals for a £67m overhaul of Sale’s The Square shopping centre, including a cinema, leisure space, a multi-storey car park, and 202 homes are set to move forward next week after winning support from Trafford Council’s planning officers.

The developer and owner of the shopping centre first showcased its plans for the site in November 2017. These include a partial demolition of the existing shopping centre, and replacing it with a six-screen cinema, up to 37,000 sq ft of retail and leisure over nine units; three of these will be in the cinema building, and six more will be within a new retail terrace. SimpsonHaugh is the architect.

The 202 homes will be split across two blocks of 15 and 12 storeys, along with 18 townhouses along the site’s Sibson Road frontage. Around 10% of the homes are to be provided on a shared ownership basis, with Trafford Housing Trust in discussions to manage these.

The 104,000 sq ft multi-storey car park is set to include 337 spaces.

New areas of public space are proposed to provide a route between Town Square and Sibson Road, while the cinema will also benefit from additional public realm. Some of the units in The Square, including WH Smith and Wilkinsons will be retained and enhanced with new facades.

Under the proposals the existing Friars Road will be closed and built over, while vehicular access into the site would be provided via a new access point from Sibson Road, to the east of Dominion House, an office currently home to the Chartered Institution of Civil Engineering Surveyors.

A new taxi rank along Sibson Road is also proposed, with the existing rank on Hereford Street relocated.

Place North West understands talks with funders and contractors are ongoing, with UK Land & Property one of the parties in discussions with Maloneview over backing the scheme.

The project is due to go before Trafford Council’s planning committee next week, and has been recommended for approval by planning officers, subject to a legal agreement.

The officers’ report praised the design of the scheme, stating: “Great weight has also been attached to the design quality of the scheme, to the extent that without the level of quality proposed, it is unlikely that officer support for the scheme would have been forthcoming.”

Planning officers have also added a condition to the potential permission that SimpsonHaugh be retained as architect throughout the construction period; or that Maloneview provides a commuted sum to allow the council to choose its own choice of delivery architect.

Other contributions in the legal agreement include £147,900 towards green infrastructure; £15,000 to revisions to residents’ car parking permits; and 20 shared ownership apartments on site.

Trafford’s planning committee is due to meet on 14 March.

The professional team also includes Exterior Architecture as landscape architect; BDP advising on MEP and civil and structural engineering; and Barton Willmore as planner.

Sale Town Centre Sketch

A sketch of the new town square by Exterior Architecture

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