THE owner of Stretford Mall wants to partially demolish the centre - which it believes will help to secure its future.

M & M Asset Management has filed a planning application to knock down part of the shopping mall.

The proposals centre on the Chester Street Mall part of the centre, at the southern end of the site. The public house in this location will be retained.

In a planning statement for the owner, consultant Planning Works Ltd says: "The proposals are part of the current owner''s strategy to improve the attractiveness of the centre and reverse the decline it has suffered over recent years.

"This decline was especially evident during the period from March 2010 to July 2014 when the centre was in receivership."

It adds that the scheme is as important to the future of the centre, if not more so, than the recent redevelopment of the Broady Street Mall area, which secured an Aldi supermarket as a new tenant.

The scheme for 0.32 hectare of the the 4.85 hectare centre, which was built in the 1960s, would also see new facades for the remaining shopping mall and alterations to the car park.

M & M Asset Management took over the mall in July 2014 after it had been in receivership for four years.

The planning statement said that tenant demand for the mall has remained poor, with retail space available in every part of the mall.

Major retailers that have left the shopping centre in recent years include Wilkinson's, TJ Hughes, Vodafone, B& M and Argos.

Tesco is also closing its store at eh end of the year.

This is particularly so in the Chester Street Mall, where 100 per cent of shop units and 50 per cent of kiosks are vacant,

Footfall at the mall has fallen by 41.7 per cent between 2008 to 2016, from 6,153,690 to 3,701,351. There was a slight rise between 2015 and 2016 of 112,331, following the introduction of three hours of free parking and the opening of Aldi.

The planning statement said: "The proposals should not be seen as counterintuitive since they will help extend choice and service going forward, make shopping in the mall more pleasant and critically allow for more efficient retailing."

It added: "The application proposals will also create a redevelopment site of approximately 0.32 ha. suitable for a range of uses compatible with its town centre location including residential use. The redevelopment of this site, in due course, will therefore bring enhanced opportunities to support the policy aspirations for the town centre."

Stretford Mall's centre manager, Gareth Wilkins, said of the plans: “Following investment in the building and development of retail spaces for national occupiers such as Aldi and Costa, whom have since opened and proven incredibly popular with shoppers, a decision has been made to demolish an older section of the mall. 
“The section earmarked for demolition will allow for the removal of excess retail space, much of which proves difficult to configure in-line with today’s retailer requirements.
"Having recently let space to other national operators such as Pure Gym, JD and Select - as well as upsizing Shoezone and Heron - the proposed demolition will enable us to further explore opportunities more akin to the demands of retailers and the local community. 
“As part of this exciting development, I’m delighted that a significant number of market traders will be relocating to new units in the centre and they will be opening over the next few weeks at various intervals - as their individual shop fitting programmes conclude. 
"It’s fantastic news that so many of our market traders have taken this opportunity to remain here and I’m certain that this will prove popular with their loyal customers.  
“It’s a very exciting time at Stretford Mall and we see the demolition plans as a positive step forward and continuation of the progress we have made to date. I look forward to sharing news on the development over the coming weeks and months.”

Stretford ward councillor Steve Adshead backed the scheme.
He said: "I have spoken with lots of local people about this proposal and while some people do have concerns the one thing everyone is agreed on is that to do nothing would not help.
"I see this further investment in the Mall as a positive step forward and part of a new beginning for Stretford, together with the public realm works.
"Stretford town centre will look and feel very different in a couple of years’ time bringing a new vibrancy to the area and this will no doubt really help."