REINVIGORATE – NOT SO SECRET GARDEN – STAMFORD QUARTER

The Stamford Quarter, a pivotal location within the town is the epitome of a traditional prime high street but with two vacant department stores and an unloved public realm, it lost some of the spirit that made Altrincham the original success story.

We saw a fantastic opportunity to regenerate the Stamford Quarter to create a new liveable neighbourhood that benefits the community, brings variety, reinvigorates the town centre retail and leisure offer, and provides long-term sustainable economic growth. Stamford Square is the largest pedestrianised public space in Altrincham. We wanted to add immediate value by reconnecting people with the area, and Stamford Square in particular so through a placemaking meanwhile initiative the ‘Not-So-Secret Garden’ was born.This new public space is an oasis for the community and supports Trafford Council’spriorities to create successful and thriving places, being green and connected and having pride in our areas.

The space was designed with sustainability and wellbeing in mind, built with reclaimed and recycled materials, lit by solar-powered lighting, surrounded by air-cleaning greenery, and sustained with harvested rainwater.It hosts a number of events from live music, markets, art classes, and live poetry. We collaborate with local retailers to support their growth, increasing awareness of local businesses to enable the meanwhile project to fulfil its ultimate purpose of creating a thriving town centre with shopping local a key player in this.All of the events work towards our objective of creating a thriving destination that is designed to drive footfall to an area where there had been some disconnect.

The project is a tangible link between the centre and the busy arrivals interchange and has created a more cohesive place that links the visitor population with the town centre network of residents and families who might not have interacted with this space previously.