Trafford eyesore demolition paves way for redevelopment
The owners of Charlton House have decided to flatten the building after being put under pressure by the local council.
Trafford Council took owner Mastcraft Limited to court after the company failed to take any action to improve the Chester Road property.
In 2020, the council issued the landlord with a notice under Section 215 of the Town and Country Planning Act requiring them to either repair or demolish the building.
The company has been fined twice as a result of the court proceedings and has now opted to flatten the former office block.
Charlton House has been vacant for many years and has suffered from vandalism. The building is located within the council’s Civic Quarter Area Action Plan and the authority is hoping that its demolition could see the site come forward for redevelopment.
“This building is in a key position within Trafford – next to the Town Hall and both Old Trafford stadiums – but has been left standing in a disgraceful state for many years,” said Cllr Liz Patel, Trafford Council’s executive member for economy and regeneration.
“The fact that Charlton House is finally being demolished is great news and I thank all our officers for their hard work in achieving this result. I now look forward to the redevelopment of the site as part of the Civic Quarter Area Action Plan.”
The pressure Trafford put on Mastcraft is part of a concerted effort to tackle the blight of eyesore sites in the area.
Last February, the council’s executive approved plans to tackle unsafe, unfinished and empty developments in the borough through enforcement action.
“We will not stand by and allow buildings to be left in this condition in our borough,” Patel said.
“The Council will continue to take court action against those owners who fail to ensure their buildings are safe and in good condition.”
At last a council doing something intelligent .
By Anonymous
About time for the “Back in the DHSS” school of public service architecture. Brown bricks were an eye grab.
By 20 th Century Effort
Well done Trafford Council, it needed to come down
By Gerard Roscoe
What about the old bingo hall on Chester road. Why has nothing been done about that.
By Anonymous
All these 60s buildings are vacant as no-one can afford to heat them. Look around you, they are everywhere.
Thank a deity of your choice for the energy crisis to finally speed up the process of their redevelopment/demolition
By Breaking News
Perhaps they could employ the same hard line approach when it comes to providing the services they are supposed to, for Trafford residents.
By Paul
Oh but the heritage 🙁
Jokes.
By Tom
Trafford has so much potential. Strong rent/house price values… but the council seems to scare off development. Good to see some change around Talbot Road, but there’s so much potential for more.
By Potential
Now CPO the land and take it from them. Developers who sit on their hands with prime residential land like this don’t deserve to keep it.
By Flixton resident
This area could be very smart with some intelligent thinking. It s close to the city centre and is blessed with some half decent housing stock, including some historical terraced house en route to Trafford Bar, perfect from repopulating. Currently though, it looks scruffy and unfinished, and there is not enough density, or facilities. There are too many gaps, between Stretford and Deansgate, which makes it look separate from Manchester,and Salford Quays. They should relocate all those car showrooms at Cornbrook and build some decent properties on that land. I think Manchester would have done a lot more with these areas, if it had been under its control.
By Elephant
Now if they can just get rid of the stupid, virtually unused “cycle lanes”‘ that muck up Chester Road, sort out the traffic light sequence from side roads to give some actual time to get out and also stop all the Utd “fans” parking on every pavement, bit of “grass” (more like mud) verges, roundabouts at White City etc that’d be good.
By Anonymous
I got told they had to get rid as it contained asbestos.
By Anonymous