New town centre a ‘fresh start’ for Stretford, residents say

A town centre’s high street has reopened to the public for the first time in almost 60 years as part of a new redevelopment.

Shops on King Street in Stretford, Greater Manchester, were bulldozed when the Stretford Mall was built in the 1960s.

Developer Bruntwood has removed the roof of the existing shopping mall to create an new town centre in a bid to recreate King Street, which is soon to be home to around 40 new shops and hospitality venues.

Hayley Osbourne, who ran two businesses in the mall, said: “It feels like a fresh start for me, rather than hanging on to the past”.

“I love the fact they kept original tiles here and restored them because if you live in Stretford, you know they’re an absolute landmark,” said Ms Osbourne.

Chris Robert of Bruntwood said the development was designed to look like a traditional town centre.

“This is about really giving the community a real town centre feel back,” he said.

“It’s really almost right back to what it was like here before the mall was put in in the first place.”

The new development also includes a new town square named after the former MP, the late Sir Tony Lloyd.

Trafford Council said a number of retailers were set to move into shops in the new high street, with the mall to remain open during the transition.

Co-owner of the Longford Tap, which is now in the centre of the newly-opened high street, said the new development would be great for his business.

“It’s been difficult the last couple of years because it’s all been closed with the building site,” he said.

“There will be a tremendous amount of footfall coming down and it will only benefit us.”

Pinnington Lane, off Kings Street, has also been restored allowing people to walk directly from the high street to the nearby Victoria Park.

Trafford Council said it had also made improvements to the nearby multi-storey carpark, with a full refurbishment to be finished later in the year.