Merseyway Shopping Centre

Merseyway Shopping Centre is a shopping precinct in Stockport, England. Opened in 1965, and extensively refurbished in the 1990s, it is a large pedestrianised area built on stilts over the River Mersey with two levels of walkways giving access to the retail units.

Merseyway Shopping Centre
The centre's main entrance from Mersey Square
LocationStockport, England
Coordinates53°24′40″N 2°09′33″W
Address52–54 Great Underbank
Opening date1965 (1965)
DeveloperHammerson
ManagementCBRE
OwnerStockport Metropolitan Borough Council
No. of stores and services95
No. of anchor tenants3
Total retail floor area32,050 m2 (345,000 sq ft)
No. of floors2
Parking835 Spaces
Merseyway in 2010

Merseyway is mostly an open air precinct, although the western end near Mersey Square was given a canopy in the 1990s and is now a small enclosed mall.

The developers Hammerson owned the centre until 2003 when they sold the leasehold to property company Stockport Holdings Ltd., owned by the Jersey-based Halabi family trust.[1] In 2009, the centre was placed into receivership.

The anchor stores are Debenhams and Primark, with approximately 85 other retailers.[2][3] To the south and east of the centre are the Peel Centre and the towns' historic market.[4]

Stockport attracts about 14 million visitors per year, making it a prominent shopping destination in the Greater Manchester Urban Area. Its catchment covers affluent areas of north Cheshire and south Manchester, competing with other major retail destinations in the area such as Manchester city centre, Ashton-under-Lyne and the Trafford Centre.[5] The centre also hosts numerous promotional events at Christmas and throughout the year.[6]

Location

The centre's name, Merseyway, comes from the fact that the centre is built on giant stilts above the River Mersey and the river runs for the entire length of the centre.[7] In 2001, there were plans to fit glass panels to the pavements within the centre to reveal the River Mersey underneath, this was a plan to try to boost tourism in the town as the river is entirely covered and hidden while it runs under the centre. However, there has been no development of these plans. In 2015, a section of pavement at the junction of Tiviot Dale and Warren Street was opened up allowing pedestrians a view of the river running under a reconstructed archway.[7]

History
Some of the supports beneath Merseyway

The centre was opened in 1965, as one of the first shopping precincts in the United Kingdom. Since then, it has undergone considerable development.

In the 1990s, Merseyway was extensively refurbished including the creation a new area of covered mall at the western edge of the centre facing onto Mersey Square.

In administration

In February 2009, the centre was placed into the hands of receivers, the directors of GVA Grimley, due to the owners (Stockport Holdings Ltd), placing the centre into administration. This statement appeared on the centre's website on 16 February 2009;[8]

"On 16th February 2009 Directors of GVA Grimley were appointed Receivers under the Law of Property Act over Merseyway Shopping Centre, Stockport. The Centre will continue to be managed by DTZ."[8]

— Unknown Author, Merseyway Shopping Centre Website

The directors of GVA Grimley have stressed that the centre will continue to trade as normal and all retailers have been notified of the status, they have also said that in the current economic situation they will not seek to sell the centre, they will continue to run the centre and build upon its potential alongside the local authority and under current management DTZ.[8]

Retailers

There are around 100 tenants altogether in the centre, consisting of around five large department-type stores, which act as the principal anchors, alongside many more national chain stores. Stores include Primark, Boots, W.H. Smith, River Island, HMV, Deichmann, McDonald's and Argos.[9] Debenhams also have a department store in adjacent Princes Street. Independent traders locate themselves in the adjacent streets, such as Princes Street, the Underbanks and the Market Place.[10]

To the immediate east of the centre are two of the town's main supermarkets, Sainsbury's and Asda. A large Tesco Extra store is located within walking distance on the opposite side of the M60 motorway. Retail developments competing for similar tenants have sprung up around the centre, these include The Peel Centre, the Courts Shopping Centre and the planned Bridgefield development. Additionally some of the more traditional shopping streets such as Hillgate play host to independent retailers due to lower rents, as well as a small collection of national chain stores.

The centre is easily accessible by car, from junctions 26, 27 or 1 of the M60 motorway, via the A6 from Manchester or Buxton.[11] There is extensive parking at the centre with a multi-storey carpark spread over a large area, containing 835 spaces and 31 disabled spaces. Additionally there is much more parking surrounding the centre.[12] The town's bus station is located directly opposite the western edge of the centre,[13] and close to the bus station, up the hill is Stockport railway station, which is accessible via the A6 or via a walkway from the bus station to the railway station.[14]

Future development

The adjacent area to the north of the centre (between Princes Street and the M60 motorway) has been developed from an easy to access ground level carpark for the Mersey Way Precinct, into a leisure complex, called Redrock, which opened in November 2017. Redrock is anchored by a cinema, The Light, accompanied by four catering vendors and a gymnasium.[15] The eateries consist of one coffee shop, an Italian restaurant, a pizza vendor, and a cafe. It replaces some of the facilities previously provided at the short lived "Grand Central" development adjacent to Stockport Railway Station, which has since been demolished to become high rise housing and offices.[16] RedRock ignominiously winning the "2018 Carbuncle Cup" for Britain's ugliest new building.[17]

In 2019, plans have been submitted for a multi-million pound redevelopment of Merseyway Shopping Centre which include; improved parking facilities, new centre entrance and facade, improved public services (such as toilet facilities) and more. These plans can be viewed on the Stockport Council website.

References
  1. "Grand Central sells for £11m". Manchester Evening News. M.E.N. Media. 17 May 2004. Retrieved 1 April 2008.
  2. "Merseyway Shopping Centre - Retailers". Merseyway Shopping Centre. Archived from the original on 14 July 2008. Retrieved 9 March 2008.
  3. "Westgate Department Store - Stockport". Anglia Regional Co-operative Society. Retrieved 9 March 2008.
  4. "Stockport MBC - Stockport Market". Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council. Archived from the original on 8 March 2010. Retrieved 5 April 2010.
  5. "Merseyway Shopping Centre - Profile" (PDF). Merseyway Shopping Centre. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 October 2008. Retrieved 7 March 2008.
  6. Rathbone, Gemma (19 December 2007). "Reindeers 'sleigh' the winter crowds". Stockport Express. M.E.N. Media. Retrieved 1 April 2008.
  7. "Mersey view plan for shoppers". Manchester Evening News. M.E.N. Media. 7 December 2001. Retrieved 1 April 2008.
  8. James Chapelard (31 March 2009). "Stockport's Merseyway centre in administration - Crain's Manchester Business". Crain's Manchester Business. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2009.
  9. "Merseyway Shopping Centre - Retailers". Merseyway Shopping Centre. Archived from the original on 14 July 2008. Retrieved 9 March 2008.
  10. "Stockport MBC - Stockport Market". Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council. Archived from the original on 8 March 2010. Retrieved 5 April 2010.
  11. "Merseyway Shopping Centre - Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved 3 April 2008.
  12. "Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council - Town Centre Car Parks". Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council. Archived from the original on 21 November 2009. Retrieved 5 April 2010.
  13. "GMPTE - Buses - Bus Station Departures - Stockport (See Bottom of Map)" (PDF). GMPTE. Archived from the original (PDF) on 10 October 2007. Retrieved 3 April 2008.
  14. Philips Street Atlas - Greater Manchester (Map) (Pocket Edition - Third Edition First Impression 2004 ed.). Philips Maps. § P170 E8.
  15. https://redrockstockport.co.uk/whats-here/
  16. Grand Central Stockport
  17. http://www.itv.com/news/2018-09-05/winner-of-the-2018-carbuncle-cup-revealed/
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.