The long-awaited Altair development is set to finally get underway with the construction of a 59-apartment block opposite Tesco’s main Altrincham store.
Progress on the £70m development took another step forward today with the appointment of Eric Wright Construction by developers Nikal.
The Preston-based construction firm – which recently completed work on the Booths supermarket and apartment block in Hale Barns Square – is due to “shortly” commence site preparation works prior to the first phase of construction, which is scheduled to start on receipt of planning in spring 2016.
Trafford Council is massively behind the scheme, signing a development agreement with Nikal in April and stating that Altair would represent “a massive boost for the regeneration and future prosperity of the town”.
The first-phase apartment block will include ground floor leisure and retail space and a new entrance for the existing ice rink, which is in the centre of the Altair scheme.
We also learnt more details today about the scheme as a whole, which is set to include a 43,000 sq ft leisure centre, 96,000 sq ft of retail and restaurants, coffee shops and cafes, a 7,400 sq ft bowling alley, 150 apartments and townhouses, and 35,000 sq ft of office space and a car park.
Nick Payne, managing director of Nikal, said: “Eric Wright Construction has recently proved its capabilities on the smooth delivery of a high-calibre mixed-use scheme in Hale Barns, just a few miles from Altrincham town centre.
“The firm’s portfolio is excellent, as is its reputation for delivering complex schemes efficiently, safely and with minimum inconvenience to the community surrounding a site. We are confident the company is best placed to help us realise our vision for Altair.”
The agents for Altair are Cheetham & Mortimer for leisure and retail, Metis for leisure, and Hillcrest Homes for residential.
