The Changing Face of Trafford: The Trafford Centre

The Trafford centre opened its doors on the 10^th of September 1998.

The journey to this opening did not run smoothly. The process was lengthy from beginning to end.

The centre is in Dumplington and is on land formerly owned by the Manchester Ship Canal Company. The canal opened in 1894 and completely transformed the Trafford Park area. There was one 300-acre piece of land that remained in agricultural use. This plot would one day become the Trafford Centre.

By 1987 Trafford Park was generally in decline. The whole park was designated an Urban Development area. The parks regeneration was a national priority.

First conceived by Peel Holdings in 1984 formal planning applications were submitted in 1986. Peel holdings acquired a controlling interest in the site after a long takeover battle for the Manchester Ship Canal Company. John Whittaker, Peel Holdings Chairman was the driving force behind the plan for the Trafford Centre.

Trafford Council supported the proposed building, however other Greater Manchester authorities were not so enthusiastic. This led to a series of enquiries led by 8 of the 10 Greater Manchester authorities and meant that the proposal took many years to come to fruition. Some of the main concerns were the impact on the city centre and traffic congestion. Planning permission was initially granted in 1988. The Department of Transport stipulated that it must be satisfied of a plan to improve the areas motorway system.

The Trafford Centre did gain full planning permission in 1993. A high court challenge against this decision was brought by the consortium. The fighting continued, but in 1995 he House of Lords the approved the plans. May 1996 saw building works begin. It took 27 months and cost £600 million. The original budget had been nearer £250 million.

Big retailers were attracted to the site. Selfridges opened its first store outside of London.

In 2004, it was announced that John Lewis would be opening a new £45m department store, replacing the Festival Village which at that time housed around 30 "alternative" shops and restaurants. By 2005, it had been replaced by the retail giant. Many shoppers have fond memories of the Festival Village with it’s quirky mix of independent retailers and restaurants.

The centre’s neo-classical architecture garnered mixed reviews. John Whittaker had chosen this style as he felt that it would not date as many out-of-town shopping centres had done.  

The Centre has decorative features such as the red roses of Lancaster which pay homage to the local area and North West England. Griffin statues adorn the exterior, the heraldic symbol of the de Trafford baronets who historically owned much of the land in modern-day Trafford.

Portraits around the walls of the mall depict members of the Whittaker family. Kent Sculptor Guy Portelli created 22 figures of classical maidens for the Centre. Altrincham sculptor Colin Spofforth created bronze figures of a jazz band for the New Orleans theme and the crest, above the main entrance. The latter assembles a griffin, unicorn and Roman centurion, referencing the arms of the de Trafford family.

There are also elements of Art Deco and Egyptian Revival. The centre is decorated in shades of white pink and gold. 45.000 square meters of Tuscan marble were used, along with granite floors. However, the MDF painted pillars and fake palm trees were less well received, although the palm trees on Peel Avenue were imported all the way from California. The centre also contains 3.5 miles of brass which is cleaned and polished every single night.

In 2011 the Orient was the largest food court in Europe. The Great Hall was themed as a steam ship in a nod to the Manchester Ship canal.

The centre itself was the largest shopping centre in the UK. It welcomed 1 million visitors within it’s first week. By the end of its first year over 26 million had visited. According to the ‘Visit Manchester’ website: ‘Since the centre opened, nearly £1million has been collected in total from the centre’s spectacular fountains. Every single coin generously dropped into the water by shoppers is washed, cleaned and donated to the centre’s local nominated charities.’

In 2006, the Trafford Centre expanded further, with Barton Square which first opened in 2008 and housed larger homeware and furniture retailers than the main shopping mall - it is linked to the centre via a pedestrian bridge.

The centre was bought from Peel Holdings by Capital Shopping Centres in 2011 and re-branded as Intu Trafford Centre in February 2013.

On the 22^{nd of} March 2020 the Metrolink finally reached the Trafford Centre. It had been intended that the line would be constructed in the first phase of Metrolink, but the drawn-out planning process made this impossible

In  2020, after making a name for itself as a tourist destination in Greater Manchester, the Centre had reached crisis point,  after Intu fell into administration with a £5billion in debt. The shopping centre and its many retail outlets had also been hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic.

In December 2020 Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP Investments), acquired ownership of the Trafford Centre and in May 2021 Peel L&P purchased the Barton Square area of the Trafford Centre. Peel was the original developer of The Trafford Centre and has rebranded Barton Square the Trafford Palazzo. It becomes part of Peel’s Trafford City brand which will see the opening of Therme  ‘a next generation waterpark’ on the former Event City site. At a future date.

Each month nearly 2 million shoppers visit the Trafford Centre, and its popularity seems set to continue.

Sources:

Manchester Evening News

Place North West

Therme Manchester

Visit Manchester

Metrolink: The Official Handbook by  Eric Ogden

Manchester Ship Canal & the Rise of the Port of Manchester by D.A. Farnie