Manchester Trafford Centre

The Trafford Centre opened in 1998

It is located on a brownfield site in the Trafford Park industrial area, 5 miles west of Manchester

It covers 150 acres

The total cost was £600 million

It has a catchment population of 5.3 million people (8% of the UK population) who live within a 45 minute drive - this is deemed the typical time period.

Public transport - the X50 bus service runs an express link to Manchester Picadilly in 25 minutes, the bus station can deal with 120 buses an hour, there are plans for an extension of the Manchester Metrolink (should be completed by 2016) and there are also plans for the construction of a canal to connect the Traffod Centre with the Manchester Ship Canal to provide a water taxi service

Cars - the centre is adjacent to junctions 9 and 10 of the M60, the M602 provides a direct link to the city centre, there are 11,000 free parking spaces and all vehicles entering the Trafford Centre have their number plate details recorded automatically, which has helped reduce the number of vehicle thefts

230 in total

Split into zones - Peel Avenue, Regent Crescent and Barton Square

6 anchor stores including John Lewis, Marks and Spencers and Selfridges

Peripheral services offered e.g. post office, banks and travel agents

It's future proof - there are vacant areas on the third floor that may be used for new developments

A crèche

An 18 lane bowling alley

20 screen cinema

Laser Quest

3 Premier Inns

Europe's largest food court, with over 60 restaurants, bars and cafés

A crazy golf course

the Shop Mobility Unit offers scooters and wheelchairs

Facilities for the disabled are regularly spaced within the complex

It supports local community projects and charities (e.g. the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital) through fundraising and donations

It provides work experience for local school students studying retail business

It offers a wide range of services which attracts more customers and brings economic benefits such as jobs - for example a Legoland Discovery Centre opened in 2010

8000 people are employed in the Trafford Centre and they receive benefits e.g. healthcare and childcare vouchers

In Altrincham, 37% of the shops were vacant (the national average was 13%)

It has had an impact on surrounding towns - fewer people go to the shops or use the leisure facilities as they can't compete with the advantages of the Trafford Centre e.g. the free parking

Most visitors drive, leading to problems with pollution and congestion - this is especially in busy periods such as Christmas

The centre is investing in improving public transport, cycle and pedestrian routes to help reduce traffic - e.g 40 bus services an hour and a shuttlebus to the Metrolink tram station

In 2011, Altrincham Forward produced the Altrincham Town Centre Action Plan - it outlines the strategies to draw people into the town, including an annual calendar of events in the town and reducing car parking charges