Shopping centre set to be bulldozed in makeover
CHORLTON’S ageing precinct is set to be knocked down as part of major council proposals for the district – but not until 2021.
Town hall bosses are next week also expected to sign off plans for new social housing and a GP surgery on the site of the former leisure centre on Manchester Road, as well as a potential primary school on Withington Road and 70 new executive homes on Ryebank Road, near Longford Park, despite opposition from residents to that proposal.
The moves form part of a suite of plans aimed at improving the centre of Chorlton, including boosting housing supply.
Chorlton precinct is set to be redeveloped into ‘mid-market’ rental housing alongside a mixture of new shops and leisure attractions.
Greater Manchester Pension Fund, which owns the site, is planning to appoint a developer over the coming year before bringing forward a planning application between late 2019 and mid-2020, ahead of redevelopment at some point after March 2021.
The council announced major plans for the centre of Chorlton last year, before putting them out to public consultation. Some 850 people attended drop-in events on the plans, as well as many more who responded online.
Overall the proposals for the precinct were supported by residents, although some felt the leisure centre should remain for leisure use.
On Withington Road, land previously set aside for potential ‘extra care’ housing for the elderly will now be put on one side for a primary school, should the area turn out to need it once the houses are built.
New homes expected as part of the precinct development are expected to provide contributions in the form of ‘section 106’ payments through the planning process, which would also be ploughed back into the new social housing down the road.
The plans will be considered at a meeting of the council executive on Wednesday next week.