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Stretford Mall Redevelopment- Phase 1
precinct. Caddick Construction is stripping away facades and outdated shopfronts, refurbishing existing retail units and carving out new spaces for restaurants, cafés and bars that front directly onto the street. The addition of outdoor seating, signage and plaza-style landscaping transforms the environment into a community focused town square.
Complementing the architectural overhaul is the repurposing of the adjacent multi-storey car park. Its ground floor is being reconfigured to host pop-up markets and flexible retail pods, while the roof removal and reconfiguration culminates in the creation of“ Little King Street” – a pedestrian-friendly laneway for market stalls and food and beverage units. All works in this phase are funded by a £ 17.6 million award from the Future High Street Fund, with Caddick on a £ 12.4 million contract for the design-and-build delivery.
In parallel with the physical works, the broader masterplan envisions up to 800 new homes along with extensive green infrastructure, a“ Central Park”, improved cycling and walking routes, and re-energised east west links between the town hall, St Matthew’ s Church and the Bridgewater Canal. Civil and transport engineers from Civic and Team-Civic are embedding active travel principles into the re-designed Kingsway and surrounding streetscape, prioritising greenery, SuDS features and low carbon connectivity.
Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios and Studio Mutt, known for their community focused, place making approach, have driven the narrative from the earliest design stages. The removal of the mall roof- an act of“ peeling back the layers”- is being handled as a cultural reclamation, not wholesale demolition. The new King Street aims to evoke Stretford’ s original streets, now with wider pavements, independent traders and the flexibility to adapt as community needs evolve.
Public input has been central throughout. Early consultations drew some 3,000 direct interactions, and the project team continues to shape decisions with local insights on building heights, park positioning and the business mix. The emphasis is clear: public realm first, with independent cafés and creative small business clusters taking precedence over national chains.
The Stretford Mall redevelopment is a strategic reinvention of what town centres can offer in the 21st century: mixed-use, green, flexible, and communitycentred. If successful, it could become a template for town centre revival in post retail Britain— reconnecting residents with their high streets, inviting new residents, and anchoring a renewed sense of local pride.
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