A pair of buildings owned by the local council is soon to be demolished in order to pave the way for a £100 million scheme that is expected to create a few thousand jobs and significantly boost the economy of the surrounding area.
In addition to the grade A office space, the Altair development will boast a number of restaurants, retail units and a hotel, and could yet be designated as the site for a new hospital, with the local NHS Trust expected to continue considering its planning options until at least November.
Nick Payne, managing director of Nikal, the property developer on the project, is keeping his fingers crossed with regard to the hospital tender but is happy to see the Altair plans getting underway with the double demolition.
“The development will be the catalyst for the renaissance of Altrincham, leading to a permanent ice rink, offices, hotel and shopping, as well as the proposed new interchange,” Mr Payne remarked.
“We hope to be on site with the first phase of development early in 2011, with the first phase open to the public by summer 2012,” he added.
Drivers Jonas Deloitte, which also counts the Home Office, Land Securities and the London Development Agency among its clients, has been advising Trafford Council on the Altair project.
Editor’s notes: In August 2025, it was reported that the site on which the Altair scheme was to be masterplanned by Savills on behalf of Trafford Council.
A range of schemes, including the Altair scheme, had been proposed for the site since we first published this article, including 100,000 square feet of office space. However, no building materialised, and Nikal went into administration in 2023.
Councillor Liz Patel, Trafford Council’s executive member for economy and regeneration, advised that the 4.5-acre site called for “a vibrant, sustainable, and community-focused mixed-use scheme that further enhances Altrincham’s appeal as a place to live, work, and visit”.
South Manchester recorded 541,367 square feet of office take-up in 2025, an increase on 2024’s total of over 83 per cent.
In 2025, Manchester city centre’s total take-up via office lettings was 1.14 million square feet, and in Q1 2026, take-up in Manchester totalled 286,222 square feet across 51 transactions.