Malcolm unveils his wacky vision of town centre future
AN architect has unveiled his imaginative ideas for Macclesfield town centre after the collapse of the £19 million cinema scheme.
Malcolm Maginn, 76, said the ‘far-fetched’ designs, which include a Silkworm-style cinema and Silk wheel car park, reflect the area’s historical features and traditions.
He sent his designs to the Express after developer Ask Real Estate pulled out of plans to develop the Churchill Way complex last month.
Malcolm, who lives on Marigold Close in Macclesfield, said he is wor- ried about what the future holds for the area and has urged residents young and old to come up with ‘out of the box’ proposals.
He said: “I’m never short of ideas. I just wanted to reflect some of Macclesfield’s historical features and traditions in the design concepts, though perhaps a bit farfetched.
“Nick Mannion MP mistakenly thought my multi-storey car park was a new soccer stadium.
“I share the concerns of many locals about the lack of progress on the town centre development, with frustration at the vacant shops and characterless buildings built in some areas.
“Members of the public will have their own ideas and dreams for the future, young and old alike. Just what the world will be like in 20-plus years is anybody’s guess.
“I think the council should invite comments and ideas from the public as they will be the ones making the most use of the facilities provided, but obviously any external investments must be financially viable. Ideally, we should take control of the future of the town.”
Ask Real Estate blamed its decision to pull out of the proposed cinema scheme because of a ‘significant downward shift in the food and beverage sector’.
It comes after a planned £90m redevelopment of the town centre by Wilson Bowdon was abandoned in 2015.
Father-of-two Malcolm said previous plans for the site have lacked character and called for more ‘out of the box’ thinking.
He said: “I didn’t think the scheme would work. Town centres are changing at a fast rate, shopping habits in particular, many closing due to on-line shopping. We need to think ahead, ‘outside the box’ sometimes. I had no issues with their design concept but it could be anywhere.”
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