Nikal has submitted their planning application to regenerate Altrincham town center.
The £70 million Altair scheme is situated on the land located between Tesco and Altrincham Leisure Centre, adjacent to the £19 million interchange scheme, and will be a new gateway into the bus, tram and train station.
The planning application on the 4.5 acre site will look to provide a new leisure center and a range of restaurants, coffee shops and cafes aimed at local residents, whilst also attracting visitors from the wider Cheshire and Manchester areas.
The existing ice rink will remain in its current position and be extended to incorporate a new tenpin bowling alley.
Altair will also provide 150 new apartments and townhouses with Nikal reporting interest already expressed by local first-time buyers and downsizers.
The developer will also be building a similar high quality office of approximately 35,000 ft² suitable for many growing Altrincham businesses. It is anticipated the office will attract further inward investment from businesses currently situated outside of the town and borough.
Nick Payne, managing director of Nikal, said: “Altair will regenerate a brownfield site that has been largely underutilized for many years and hopefully provide Altrincham with a fabulous leisure center and sports center. It will bring more customers to existing businesses and to the high street, which we believe will significantly benefit the town.
“Altair has been designed not as a single piece separate from the town but as the missing piece from the rejuvenation of Altrincham town center. It will provide a bustling and vibrant atmosphere for people to enjoy a meal with family and friends and enhance the offering of Altrincham, allowing people to enjoy the existing areas as well as some of the new.
“Altair will provide a safe, bright and attractive new public avenue and public square for families to enjoy.”
Trafford Council Leader and Chair of Altrincham Forward, Councillor Matt Colledge says, “I am excited by the refreshed plans for Altair and the positive effect it will have on the town as a whole.
“A considerable effort has been made by Nikal and my officers to regain momentum on the scheme despite a challenging economic climate. This scheme is now more refined, and crucially deliverable, and in my view is a huge step forward in the rejuvenation of Altrincham.
“It now offers a very complementary approach to the town center, with the mix of leisure uses and cafes bringing a much needed vibrancy to the area and will attract families to spend more time not just within Altair itself but across the town center generally.”
Altair is expected to begin in early 2014 and is earmarked for completion by 2017.
Source: Nikal
