Trafford progresses resi and moves to protect Turn Moss

The residential redevelopment of Hale Library and the Bowdon Jubilee Centre, and the future protection of Turn Moss, were on the agenda at Trafford’s latest executive meeting.

The council met virtually yesterday with plans to approve a range of schemes, including the sale of Hale Library on Leigh Road, and the pavilion building at the bowling green on Ashley Road.

First agreed in 2015, the scheme would see the construction of a new library and community centre on the pavilion site, funded by the redevelopment of the existing library.

The library is due to be sold for £500,000 to Hale Community Trust, and the pavilion would also be disposed of to the trust on a 125-year lease, which will be leased back to the council once the library is built. The money will not be received by the council until the eight residential units planned for the library plot are sold.

Hillcrest Homes was first lined up to build the homes, and gained planning consent for the site last year. The housebuilder has since been replaced by Westshield.

Both homes and library are due to complete in 2021.

Site of Bowdon’s Jubilee Centre which the council described as “in disrepair”

Trafford Council also plans to approve the development of homes and a community facility on the site of the Jubilee Centre in Bowdon.

The council will set out to procure a developer to partner on the scheme, which has an estimated £6m development cost.

The site is in the centre of Bowdon, behind The Griffin and The Stamford Road pubs, and is accessed off St Marys Road.

In order for the site to be developed, the Jubilee Centre will relocate next door to the Cinnamon Club.

According to the council: “The Jubilee Centre is currently in a state of disrepair and as such will be subject to re-provision as part of the overall site development proposal.”

The council described its hopes for the redevelopment of the plot as “bespoke and bold”, and said it was looking for “an aspirational development in this location with potential to maximise the environmental credentials of the site”.

Following the executive’s approval, the council would be ready to procure for a partner next month, with the contract due to begin from January 2021.

A final business case will be developed with the selected partner and will be reported to Investment Management Board for approval before a commitment is given to deliver the scheme.

Technical difficulties during the virtual meeting meant that while the approvals were planned, they couldn’t be signed off until a later date.

Plans for Turn Moss caused outcry in 2018

At the same meeting, the designation of Turn Moss as a village green, protecting it from future development, was on the agenda.

The 6.8-acre plot is owned by the council, and has been used for football matches for 70 years. The site was the subject of a controversial planning application from Salford City FC and UA92, which was withdrawn in 2018 following a record number of objections and a campaign from local community group Friends of Turn Moss. Trafford Council leader Cllr Andrew Western pulled the plans on his first day in office in May 2018.

The planning application would have seen UA92 and the council build a training ground for Salford City FC, including four training pitches, an office, and a gym converted from an existing storage facility.

Friends of Turn Moss has since secured £10,000 from the Social Investment Fund and want to update the park with signage, trees, improved sporting facilities and toilets.

The village green status would mean Turn Moss is protected for use by the public for sports and recreation in perpetuity.