Wrecking ball prepped for former Trafford GMP HQ

Permission is being sought for the demolition of the vacant Greater Manchester Police buildings on Chester Road in Stretford to pave the way for the redevelopment of the 9.5-acre site into a mixed-use scheme featuring 750 homes.

Developer FEC has submitted an application to knock down the buildings as work to prepare a masterplan for the redevelopment project goes on behind the scenes.

FEC, which is working in partnership with Trafford Council and the GMCA, aims to have that masterplan ready by autumn.

The site is also home to the Victorian-era Ellis Llwyd Jones Hall, which will be protected during the four-to-six-month demolition phase and be restored as part of the development.

The site’s car park will also be reopened to service matchday traffic at Old Trafford Stadium nearby.

The longer-term vision for the site’s future includes 750 homes with around 25% of these coming forward on affordable tenures.

Initial designs call for the Chester Road plot also include a hotel, leisure facilities, office blocks, and shops. Community facilities are also in the works.

The GMP HQ site, vacant since 2012 when the police relocated to Central Park in Newton Heath, forms part of Trafford Council’s wider 135-acre Civic Quarter Action Plan.

This masterplan calls for 4,000 homes to be built and, in addition to those proposed on the GMP site, also includes the 639-homes being built by Glenbrook at Lumina Village.

Ono Odudu, project director at FEC Manchester, said: “After more than a decade of underutilisation, it’s pleasing to see progress to bring the site back into the community with new homes and amenities.

“It’s an exciting time for Trafford, with the potential of the area even gathering worldwide attention. But it’s essential that what’s delivered has the community at the very heart of it.”