The council needs cash for the coming years
Car parks, toilets, derelict schools, a town hall and a former library are all to be sold by cash-strapped Trafford council in a bid to generate money.
Recent weeks have revealed the extent of the authority’s financial woes, with bosses needing a loan of more than £12 million from the Government to balance the books – something they are legally bound to do. Residents are also set to be hit by one of the highest council tax rises in the country after special dispensation was given for a 7.49pc hike in the charge for the second year running.
But these measures are still not enough to solve the problem. Some £17 million of savings are lined up for the coming years, while Trafford is also looking to sell off land and buildings to bring in some more cash.
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Among the assets expected to be disposed of are Altrincham Town Hall and the former Altrincham Library, documents reveal. Two disused schools, the former Moss View Primary School site, in Partington, and the former Trafford High School site, in Flixton, also feature on the list.
A number of car parks, a block of toilets, the former Davyhulme Youth Centre and the Jubilee Centre – a community centre in Bowdon – are also proposed for disposal. Trafford has said it needs to generate around £10 million through land and property sales to fund its capital programme over the coming years.
Capital funds are money set aside for projects, as opposed to day-to-day operational costs. A full list of the sites planned to be sold can be found below.
All of the sites listed have been labelled “surplus” by the authority, which said getting rid of them would reduce its costs and its maintenance backlog while also creating regeneration opportunities.
The authority has also identified a number of areas it wants to redevelop itself, either alone or as a joint venture, to increase the potential for profit generation from them in future years. These include the former Sale Magistrates site, in Altrincham, and land in Lacy Street, Stretford, where the former probation office once stood.
Sites to be sold
- Former RBS Bank, Central Road, Partington
- Stamford Quarter and Stretford Mall
- Former Altrincham Library, Stamford New Road, Altrincham (1st Floor and ground floor)
- The Jubilee Centre, St Marys Road, Bowdon
- Wharf Road Garages, Altrincham
- Altrincham Town Hall
- Land at Balmoral Road, Altrincham
- Land at Central Way, Altrincham
- Brown Street Car Park, Hale
- Land at Irlam Road, Flixton
- Land at Lime Road, Stretford
- Land in Davenport Green
- Land at Seymour Grove, Old Trafford
- Former Primary School, Moss View, Partington
- Former Trafford High School
- Redundant Cemetery Chapels – subject to operational review
- Land at Keswick Rd, Moss Road, Old Trafford
- Land off City Road, Old Trafford, M15 4FA
- Car Park Eleventh Street, Trafford Park, M17 1JF
- Toilets, Third Avenue, Trafford Park
- Former Davyhulme Youth Centre, Davyhulme
- Priory Road, Bowdon
- Land at Firsway, Sale – New Access to site
- Car Park Empress Street, Old Trafford, M16 9EN
Sites to be redeveloped
- Partington Town Centre Site (land to the rear of Partington Shopping Centre)
- Former Sale Magistrates Site
- Stokoe Avenue, Altrincham
- Former Tamworth Court Site, Old Trafford
- Chapel Road, Sale
- K Site, Stretford
- Lacy Street Land Assembly, Former Sorting Office, Probation Service Building, Lacy Street Car Park
- Land at Oakfield Rd/Moss Lane, Altrincham