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![]() Trafford Centre, with Trafford Palazzo to the top left | |
Location | Dumplington, Trafford, Greater Manchester, England [1] |
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Opening date | 10 September 1998 [2] |
Developer | The Peel Group [3] |
Management | Savills [4] |
Owner | Canada Pension Plan Investment Board - The Trafford Centre [5] Peel Land and Property - Trafford Palazzo |
Architect |
|
No. of stores and services | 200 [1] |
No. of anchor tenants | 5 [1]
|
Total retail floor area | |
No. of floors | 3 |
Parking | 11,500 [10] |
Website | traffordcentre |
The Trafford Centre is a large indoor shopping centre and entertainment complex in Stretford, Greater Manchester, England. It opened in 1998 and is third largest in the United Kingdom by retail space. [11] [12]
Originally developed by the Peel Group, the Trafford Centre was sold to Capital Shopping Centres, later to become Intu, in 2011 for £1.65 billion; [13] it set a record as the costliest single property sale in British history. [14]
The battle to obtain permission to build the centre was amongst the longest and most expensive in United Kingdom planning history. [3] As of 2011 [update] , the Trafford Centre had Europe's largest food court and the UK's busiest cinema. [1]
The site was owned by the Manchester Ship Canal Company which John Whittaker's Peel Holdings had been acquiring shares in since 1971. [15] Manchester City Council also had a stake, but by the mid 1980s Whittaker had a majority control and proposed building an out-of-town shopping centre, and other schemes. [16] The greenfield site was the only undeveloped part of Trafford Park and had remained in agricultural use up until the late 1980's.
Manchester City Council faced a conflict of interest as both a local planning authority and shareholder. Its minority shareholding also no longer gave it any real control over the company. Accordingly, in 1986 it surrendered the right to appoint all but one of the Manchester Ship Canal's directors, and sold its shares to Whittaker for £10 million. [16]
Manchester City Council opposed Whittaker's proposal for retail development, stating it would impact negatively on the city centre economy, but accepted it was "obviously in the interests of the shareholders". [16]
The Peel Group submitted a planning application to Trafford Council for development of approximately 300 acres (120 ha) of land in 1986. The application was called in by the Secretary of State for the Environment and legal disputes ensued requiring two public inquiries before planning permission was granted. Objections included congestion fears on the M60 motorway, [17] and adverse consequences for retailers across Greater Manchester. [17] Planning permission was granted in 1993 [18] before being blocked by the Court of Appeal, [18] then reinstated in 1995 by the House of Lords. [19] [20] [21]
Construction work on the centre began on site in May 1996 [22] and would last for 27 months at a cost of £600 million. [23] At the peak of construction over 3000 [24] people would be employed on site with Bovis Construction being the lead contractor.
Twelve years after being proposed, the Trafford Centre opened on 10 September 1998. The Barton Square and Great Hall extensions opened in 2008, at a combined cost of over £100 million. [25]
Peel Group sold the centre to Capital Shopping Centres (CSC) in January 2011 for £1.6 billion, in cash and shares, [26] and John Whittaker, chairman of Peel Group, became deputy chairman of CSC. [27] He later claimed he could have sold the centre for over £2 billion if he had been prepared to accept just cash. [28] Nevertheless the £1.6 billion deal remained the largest property transaction in British history, [14] [29] and the biggest European property deal of 2011. [30]
Capital Shopping Centres was renamed Intu in 2013 and spent £7 million rebranding the "Intu Trafford Centre". [31]
As of 2017 [update] , Intu claimed a fair market value of £2.312 billion for the centre. [32] However, the firm entered administration in June 2020 and the centre was placed into receivership by its creditors in November 2020. [33] In 2020, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, who had loaned Intu £250 million in 2017, exercised their rights as creditors to take ownership of the complex excluding Trafford Palazzo. [5]
Trafford Palazzo was acquired by Peel Land and Property in May 2021 for an undisclosed sum although the asking price was in excess of £50 million [34] . In November 2021 Peel Land and Property re-branded the centre as Trafford Palazzo abandoning the previous name of Barton Square [35] .
Barton Square had been legally spilt from The Trafford centre the previous year during Intu's collapse.
Trafford Palazzo and The Trafford Centre now operate as separate shopping centres despite being physically linked.
Construction of the Manchester Metrolink's Trafford Park tram line began construction in January 2017. Test trams began in November 2019, and the line opened from Pomona tram stop to intu Trafford Centre on 22 March 2020. intu Trafford Centre tram stop had to be renamed to The Trafford Centre in late 2020 after intu ceased ownership.
John Whittaker chose a lavish, unorthodox style seeking to avoid the centre rapidly appearing dated and stale, a problem many shopping centres were susceptible to. Although the extravagant Rococo and Baroque design may be viewed as gaudy, he argued the prospect of the shopping centre rapidly ageing was mitigated and long-term less renovation work would be required. [36]
When we first started the architects said, "you shouldn’t be doing all this and giving it all the razzmatazz and showbiz, leave that to the retailers. Make it plain, make it clinical, make it white and hospitalised and let them do the work". So then we put in the paintings, we put in the real gold leaf, we put artefacts everywhere, paintings. It is the people’s palace. It is something to attract shoppers ... to give them the Dallas effect.
The design was a collaboration between the architectural practices of Chapman Taylor and Manchester-based Leach Rhodes Walker. Chapman Taylor developed the design concept and general look and feel while Leach Rhodes Walker were responsible for the detailed technical design and coordination. The Main contractor was Bovis, [38] with structural engineering services provided by WSP Group. Such was the size and detailing of the building, architects ended up producing over 3,000 separate shop drawings and the construction process required 24 chartered architects to work on the project full-time to monitor progress. [3]
Peel Avenue, Regent Crescent, the Dome, and The Orient, comprising the original centre were designed so that visitor flows split equally between their two floors. [39] The 20-screen Odeon Cinema and other leisure facilities are in the Dome area on the third floor.
The building was designed with adaptability in mind with most of the retail units being able to accommodate a mezzanine floor. An additional floor at third floor level can also be accommodated above the three major department store units if the need arises. [40]
There was a originally a market-style area at the end of Peel Avenue called Festival Village, playing host to a range of children's entertainment, independent retailers and restaurants. [41] It was eventually closed in late 2003 to make way for a John Lewis store, which opened in May 2005. Many of the Village's entertainment and retailers were dispersed throughout the centre thereafter.
There are three domed atria along the length of the mall, and the developers claim its £5 million middle dome is larger than that of St Paul's Cathedral. [42] [37]
The Trafford Centre also contains eclectic Art Deco and Egyptian Revival elements. It is decorated primarily in shades of white, pink and gold with ivory, jade and caramel coloured marble throughout. [42] [37]
As of 1996 [update] there were 45,000 square metres (480,000 sq ft) or £5.8 million of Tuscan marble and granite flooring from Montignoso and Quarrata, [43] and gold leaf adorns the building's columns. [42] The marble floors and handrails are polished nightly to maintain the centre's opulence. [44]
The Trafford Centre has decorative features such as red roses of Lancaster which pay homage to the local area and North West England. [45] Griffin statues adorn the exterior, the heraldic symbol of the de Trafford baronets who historically owned much of the land in modern-day Trafford. [3]
Elsewhere, preserved palm trees and neo-classical decorative pillars made of painted, medium-density fibreboard have received criticism. [44] Manchester architecture critic John Parkinson-Bailey described the Trafford Centre as a building which "will not appeal to purists" and the range of interior architecture as "bewildering". [3]
A Mercedes car formerly belonging to John Whittaker's mother was initially displayed on the first floor mall outside F. Hinds and was moved to Trafford Palazzo after the demise of Intu. [46]
The centre is decorated with hundreds of murals and Trompe-l'œil adorning it's walls and vaulted ceilings. These depict many different themes ranging from classical allegory to historical depictions of The Manchester Ship Canal and other prominent local landmarks.
Portraits lining the walls of Regent Crescent depict members of the design and construction team [47] as well as members of the Whittaker family.
A feature of the centre, and particularly Trafford Palazzo, is the statuary and other sculpture. There are over 100 figures, mainly in a classical Greek / Roman, or Art Nouveau style. [48]
Kent based sculptor Guy Portelli was commissioned to create the 22 classical maidens adorning the colonnade at the front of The Orient [49] . Dancing maidens bear oak branches as reminder of Trafford Park's history as a "beautifully timbered deer park" and reclining figures blow golden trumpets to herald in a new era.
Altrincham sculptor Colin Spofforth created bronze figures of a jazz band for the New Orleans theme. [50]
As part of the Great Hall redevelopment in 2007, Spofforth was again commissioned to create a crest which is part of a new portico at the main entrance. [51] This piece assembles a griffin, unicorn and Roman centurion, once more referencing the arms of the de Trafford family. [51] The centurion holds two lightning bolts, a reminder of the power stations formerly on the site. [52]
Another popular decorative element of the centre are it's fountains. Seven [53] fountains originally entertained visitors throughout the centre and many of the original fountains remain in place. Over the years some have been replaced or removed.
The fountains instantly became a popular site for visitors to make a wish by tossing a coin into the water. The Trafford Centre periodically removes the coins from the fountains, cleans them and donates the money to local charities via it's own Fountain Fund scheme. Since 1998 over £1.2 million has been donated. [54]
The Orient is Europe's largest food court with 1,600 seats and 35 retail outlets. It is decorated in the style of a 1930's ocean liner, incorporating detail representing China, New Orleans, Egypt, Italy, americana and Morocco. [55] The two floors incorporate restaurants, bars and fast food outlets in sight of a giant screen.
In February 2025 the China Town section of The Orient was redeveloped into a new mini food court known as Eastern Garden. This area now houses several independent outlets serving Asian cuisine. As part of the works a new more modern design has been introduced inspired by Japanese architecture. Most of the original Chinese theming has been removed. [56]
The Great Hall opened 2007, its glazed structure housing five restaurants and cafes. Construction took 18 months at a cost of £26 million and incorporates a sweeping staircase with marble balustrades. The centre claims its Great Hall has the largest chandelier in the world at 11 metres (36 ft) wide and 15 metres (49 ft) high. The feature incorporates three internal maintenance walkways and weighs five ton. [57]
The 19,000 square metres (200,000 sq ft), covered Trafford Palazzo (formerly Barton Square) opened in 2008 and cost £70 million. [58] [59] The former name referenced the nearby Barton-upon-Irwell.
Trafford Palazzo is linked to the main Trafford Centre by a glazed bridge and incorporates a mock Italian Renaissance square with fountain and campanile tower.[ citation needed ]
A £75 million 110,000 sq ft renovation for the area commenced in mid 2018, which included adding a first floor and a roof. [60] [61] Over time, the offering shifted from home stores to a more leisurely offering with some retail such as Primark who opened in June 2020, and Sports Direct. [8] [62] [63]
Leisure facilities include a 20-screen Odeon cinema; [64] Laser Quest arena; an adventure golf course; an amusement arcade with dodgems and bowling, and a Sea Life Centre aquarium. [65] [66] [67] Between 2002 and 2004, the area occupied by Paradise Island Adventure Golf was originally home to an interactive children's ride called Dreamieland, dubbed "Britain's first shopping centre-based theme ride". [68] It closed after only two years due to poor attendance, before Paradise Island took its place in 2008.
As of 2011 [update] , 10 percent of the UK population lived within a 45-minute drive of the Trafford Centre. [1]
There is a bus station at the west end of the Trafford Centre, with services to most towns in Greater Manchester. [69] [70]
The Trafford Centre has 12,500 car spaces and 350 coach spaces; it is sited off the M60, at junctions 9 and 10. Its popularity has resulted in traffic congestion on the M60's Barton High-Level Bridge, requiring a link road adjacent to the M60 crossing the ship canal on a new lift bridge.[ citation needed ]
All vehicles entering the centre have number plate details recorded via automatic number plate recognition. Since its introduction in 2003 at a cost of £220,000, [2] the system has reduced the number of thefts of and from vehicles to a level described as "negligible". [71] The ANPR tracks cars which have been used for serious offences and details of any car with such a number plate can then be passed to Stretford Police station. [2]
The centre is served by two stops on the Trafford Park Line of the Manchester Metrolink network. The terminus, The Trafford Centre tram stop, serves the west of the centre, while the Barton Dock Road tram stop serves the east of the centre and Trafford Palazzo. [72]
From 1998 to 2020, a shuttle bus had connected Stretford tram stop and the Trafford Centre. [73]
The deal is the largest-ever UK property transaction. Mr Whittaker, Peel chairman, told the shareholder meeting the sale had nothing to do with the amount of money, which would have been higher through a cash sale, but was related to the long-term future of his family business.
The company's 1.6 billion-pound purchase of the Trafford Centre in Manchester, England, in January 2011 was the biggest single property transaction in Europe last year, according to New York-based Real Capital Analytics Inc.
Whittaker looked to Las Vegas for inspiration, but the devout Roman Catholic also looked to the Vatican, with the domes and Romanesque frescoes included 'so it wouldn't date'.
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