The rise of Altrincham’s booming night time economy

It’s a town that has won international acclaim for its booming night time economy.

The vibe in Altrincham is attracting visitors from far and wide, thanks to its excellent transport links with the Metrolink and its train station dovetailing perfectly at the interchange in heart of the town centre.

Altrincham

No surprise therefore when it scooped the prestigious Purple Flag accolade, awarded to centres who make exceptional efforts to create a safe, diverse and enjoyable night time experience.

It’s an international gong granted by the Association of Town and City Management (ATCM), which aims to raise the standard and broaden the appeal of town and city centres between 5pm and 5am and is awarded to those exhibiting excellence in managing their evening offerings.

High praise has come from Sacha Lord, the night time economy adviser for Greater Manchester who described Altrincham’s achievement as ‘fantastic’.

He hailed the work of the Altrincham Purple Flag Working Group and the Altrincham BID team, who led on the application, as well as Trafford council, Greater Manchester Police, Transport for Greater Manchester and the property company Bruntwood.

Altrincham Market

Anyone looking for clues as to the secret of its success could start at Altrincham Market – a hub for street food and drink operators – where people love to congregate at communal tables which visitors are happy to share with strangers.

Its co-founders are Nick Johnson and partner Jenny Thompson who have reinvented the historic market over the last 10 years.

“Altrincham was really rock bottom 10 years ago,” said Nick. “But I saw the potential of the market. With everything going for it, it should have been thriving. It didn’t reflect the people that it served.”

Fast forward a decade, and the transformation is palpable, as I Love Manchester’s visit to the historic building showed.

Ed Monk, 49, who was out with his wife Rebecca, 50, having pre-cinema food and drink in the market on Friday evening could not have summed it up more perfectly when he said: “If you presented a business plan and said ‘we’ll create an eating and drinking experience where you can’t book a table, you have to wait for a space to sit down, and when you do you’ll have to interact with total strangers’ you’d expect a reply to say ‘it won’t work’.

“But it absolutely works,” he said. “People are loving sitting here and just enjoying the atmosphere. And the food is fantastic.

“We moved to Altrincham from Leamington Spa in 2008. Then it was one of the worst towns in the country for night life with everything boarded up. It was awful. But they’ve regenerated it and this market is awesome.

Rebecca agreed, saying: “We love coming here. It’s the perfect start to our evening before we go an watch a movie. We also feel so safe coming here.”

Emma Goodwin, 48, was with in the market with partner Karl Faulkner, 51, and their four-year-old daughter having travelled in from their home in Gatley to enjoy the fare.

Their daughter played happily with other children in the ‘Market House Little ‘Uns Play Area just feet away while her parents set about the business of ordering food.

Emma said: “I’m from Stoke and I used to come to Altrincham as a teenager to go to the ice rank. We love coming here. We also like going like going out in Stockport – to the Underbank.

Karl said: “It’s great for our daughter. She’s got other kids to play with while we can keep an eye on her.”

John, 49, was standing up with his friend Ben, 24, waiting for a table. “It’s rammed in here,” he said. “I’ve just called me wife, and asked if she’s coming out, and I’ve had to advise her to go somewhere else because it’s so busy. I grew up around here in the 1980s and 90s, but it’s a completely different experience now.

“People are coming from all over Greater Manchester and beyond. There are people visiting who live in the centre of Manchester because it’s so convenient to get here.”

Ben added: “It’s really nice in here. People who have been here over the last 12 years – longer than I have – tell me the town has gone really up-market.

But the market isn’t the only attraction in the town centre. In fact the market closes at 10pm, but other places to go include Kings Court and Goose Green where there are bars and restaurants open until midnight and beyond.

Costello’s Goose Green

At Costello’s on Goose Green, assistant manager James Lindsay, 27, is proud of how drinkers of all generations mingle in the bar.

“We get older people in because we serve real ale, but we also get young ones in too,” he said.

Barman Sash Moore, also 27, agreed. “It usually gets busy about 5pm, goes quiet, and then picks up against between 8pm and 10pm.

“The ‘Green’ has mellowed out. There never had any problems and there are a lot of regulars who come here.”

For anyone into live music, the Old Market Tavern is worth a punt, with indie bands on Friday night and classic rock covers taking to the stage.

The pub is run by partners Joanne Raby and Simon Boyle. Simon said: “It can be a bit hit and miss. We’ve even had a rave here.

“But we have a lot of loyal customers. We’ve people coming here from as far away as Tyldesley, Hyde and Glossop. We are a free house, so we can sell what beer we want, which appeals to al ot of people.”

Coun Michael Welton

Meanwhile, Altrincham councillor and leader of Trafford’s Green Party group Coun Michael Welton takes a pragmatic view over the council’s task of balancing the needs of night time businesses and the increasing number of residents living in or close to the town centre.

“I wouldn’t say there are problems [between businesses and residents], but there are always licensing issues,” he said.

“We have more and more [residential] accommodation in Altrincham and people moving into the town centre need to respect and know what they are coming into.

“We’ve got many residential developments opening up in the last year and a new bowling alley.”

And alluding to Altrincham’s Cresta Court Hotel, which has housed nearly 300 asylum seekers for the last six weeks, he added: “The police say there have been fewer issues relating to the hotel because there have been no Christmas parties being held there, although there will have been an effect on the local economy from lack of paying visitors.

“But there is not reason for people to have safety concerns regarding the Cresta Court Hotel.”