Trafford launches ‘village plans’ for Sale Moor and Hale

The council is gauging public views on improving both district centres, including how to unlock future development opportunities, with Nexus Planning appointed to draw up a village plan later this year.

The plans are intended to guide future development, environmental improvements, and accessibility across both centres, which act as secondary centres to Sale and Altrincham.

The surveys cover questions including how both village centres could be improved; residents’ top three priorities in how to diversify each centres’ offering; the quality of existing infrastructure and green space; access issues; and the quality of retail and leisure on offer.

Sale Moor has already been subject to a consultation in the last 12 months with the council looking to gauge views on how to use the Warrener Street car park, previously earmarked for an Aldi store. Other options considered were for a health centre, while at a consultation in December, residents put forward ideas including a convenience store on the site.

An outcome of this consultation has yet to be published by the council; leaving the car park as it is remains an option.

In Hale, development in the village remains constrained by the lack of available sites, although a number of former retail premises have been converted into leisure, restaurant, and bar space.

The largest development currently under way is at Brown Street, where developer Novo is delivering a £6m, 22-apartment project on the former car park next to the village’s railway station. Residents had been vehemently opposed to the project but work has now begun after being supported by the council.

Elsewhere, Hale Library is to be relocated and its current home redeveloped under plans put forward by the Hale Civic Trust and housebuilder Hillcrest. The library will move to a new home in a community centre to be built on the existing bowling green pavilion, while homes will be built on the site of the current library. Elsewhere in the village centre, however, larger-scale development opportunities are thin.

Under Trafford Council’s timeline, initial community consultation will run until September with a first draft of the village plans to be published in November or early December. Another public consultation will take place in January 2020, before the plan is finalised and signed off by the council’s executive in February next year.

Cllr James Wright, the council’s executive member for housing and regeneration, said: “Sale Moor and Hale are important local centres for both residents and businesses and we need to ensure they remain sustainable places which can flourish to meet the needs of the local community.

“The village plans will look at ways to improve both areas by identifying potential development opportunities, measures to improve their environment and accessibility including how to make them better and safer places to move around.

“I want the local community to be fully involved in the place plans and the survey is just the first part in this process. I would welcome your thoughts as these will help shape the draft Plans which will then be subject to further more detailed consultation.”

Both surveys can be found here.

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