PLANNING | Hotel and homes up for approval in Trafford
Create Developments’ proposals for a £16m, 147-room hotel close to the Trafford Centre and the council’s £18m plan to redevelop the site of Sale’s former magistrates’ court into housing have both been tipped for sign-off.
Barton Road hotel

AEW designed the scheme
Developer: Create Developments
Architect: AEW Architects
Planner: Iceni Projects
In December, Blackpool-based Create submitted scaled-back plans for a seven-storey Hampton by Hilton hotel off Barton Road in Stretford, after Trafford Council had refused a larger iteration of the scheme earlier in the year.
The original proposals mooted a nine-storey, 197-bedroom hotel, but concerns over car parking provision and the scale of the scheme forced the developer back to the drawing board.
The refusal followed objections from developers Peel L&P and now-defunct Intu Properties due to concerns over the suitability of its location.
Since then, Create has slashed the number of rooms by 50 and reduced the number of floors by two. The building’s footprint has also been reduced, from 12,500 sq ft to 10,000 sq ft, while the number of parking spaces has been increased to 147 from 127.
The developer is also working with local community groups to provide landscaping such as a “wellbeing garden” for the residents of the neighbouring Circle Court, an existing apartment building owned by Trafford Housing Trust.
Sale Magistrates’ Court redevelopment
Developer: Trafford Council and Seddon Developments
Architect: IBI Group
Planner: Avison Young
The council appointed Seddon Developments to build the £18m scheme last year and lodged plans for 86 homes on the Ashton Lane site in November.
Designed by architect IBI Group, the scheme comprises 40 townhouses, six semi-detached properties, and 38 apartments across two blocks of three and four storeys.
A total of 24 of the townhouses would have four bedrooms and the remaining 16 would have three. The apartments would be a mix of one-, two- and three-bedroom units.
In addition, a pocket park would be located between the two apartment blocks, fronting Cross Street. The development is to feature 104 parking spaces.
Under the proposals, the council has outlined the provision of 21 affordable units, comprising 13 apartments and 8 houses; the apartments would be provided for affordable rent and the houses would be for shared ownership
Trafford bought the court in 2018 for an undisclosed sum before appointing contractor PP O’Connor to demolish the buildings the same year.
The court was left empty in 2016 after closing as part of a Government cost-cutting initiative.