Urmston shopping centre remains to be demolished

28 May 2010 13:39 Michael Hunt Comments (0)

The final buildings left from the old shopping centre at Eden Square will be knocked down in the first week of June.

The old Boots building and the cabins, which have been on the land whilst the first phase of construction to develop the site was completed, will be removed during ten days of works commencing Tuesday 1 June.

The scheme to redevelop Urmston shopping centre is being led by Ask Developments and Trafford council, which included the delivery of a new 50,000 sq ft Sainsbury's food store within the first phase of development.

Trafford Council said that once the final remains of the old shopping centre have been removed the site will be cleared and made safe in order "to present a better environment for the residents and businesses located in the area and the many shoppers now visiting the centre".

The council added that there will also be some "short-term interim treatment to the larger area of undeveloped land so that it does not distract from the quality development created by phase one of the project".

Mike Cornes, executive councillor at Trafford Council, said: "Removing the last parts of the old shopping centre will make a significant difference to Eden Square and means the land can be cleared ready for further development in the future. All partners in this scheme remain committed to bringing phase two forward once market conditions allow. In the meantime the council and our development partners are working hard to ensure phase one of the scheme reaches its full potential and the opportunities for phase two are realised as soon as possible."

Leon Guyett, senior development executive at Ask Developments, added: "Despite the fragile economic conditions, we are having encouraging discussions with a number of key retailers for phase two who require larger floor space than we can accommodate in the current phase. However, phase one remains a priority for us and we hope to be able to announce a number of new lettings in the near future."

In addition to Sainsbury's, other shops to have opened in the first phase at Eden Square include Boots, Costa Coffee, Hallmark & Thorntons and hair salon HD Studio.