Council secures three-acre site for school expansion
Trafford Council has completed the acquisition of the former Loreto Preparatory School grounds on Dunham Road in Altrincham, ending a period of uncertainty over the three-acre town-centre plot and paving the way for a sizeable increase in secondary school capacity.
The purchase, financed through a Department for Education capital grant, will enable neighbouring North Cestrian School to expand and add up to 300 secondary places. A feasibility study is already under way and the council says the first extra places should be made available from September 2027, with the full expansion scheduled to be complete by September 2028.
"I'm delighted that we have made this purchase to help make sure more of our local children can go to an Altrincham school and get them the best start in life."
— Cllr George Devlin, Trafford's Executive Member for Babies, Children and Young People
The deal was agreed following collaboration between Trafford's Development and Education teams and the Hamblin Education Trust, which runs North Cestrian. Tim Gartside, the trust's chief executive, described the acquisition as a timely step as the school begins its tenth year.
How the purchase ends years of uncertainty
The Loreto site had been at the centre of local concern since Loreto Preparatory School — an independent Catholic primary with a 114-year history — closed suddenly in July 2023, blaming falling pupil numbers and financial strain. Parents and councillors feared the centrally located plot could be sold for housing, prompting a petition that gathered more than 1,300 signatures and a successful application to list the land as an Asset of Community Value.
Trafford's Executive formally decided to pursue a purchase in spring 2024. The council had previously estimated the acquisition would cost in the region of £9 million. Councillors said securing the site protects educational use in perpetuity and prevents the loss of a valuable town-centre asset to private development.
Wider context for school places across the borough
The Loreto purchase is part of a broader push to increase school capacity across Trafford. The council's schools team has worked with secondary providers to secure additional places for 2026, including 76 places in the Sale and Altrincham areas and a further 85 places elsewhere in the borough.
- Site: former Loreto Preparatory School, Dunham Road, Altrincham — three acres
- Planned increase: up to 300 secondary places at North Cestrian
- Key dates: first new places from September 2027; full expansion by September 2028
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Funding | Department for Education capital grant |
| Parties involved | Trafford Council Development & Education teams; Hamblin Education Trust |
| Community action | Petition (>1,300 signatures); Asset of Community Value listing |
Local councillors framed the purchase as a direct response to community concern and a practical move to give more children access to local education. Cllr Liz Patel, Trafford's Executive Member for Economy and Regeneration, said that without council action the site "could have been lost to education in Trafford forever."
For Altrincham residents the implications are immediate. The expansion promises to relieve pressure on secondary admissions in the town centre and offer families more choice close to home. For school leaders and the Hamblin Education Trust, the extra capacity supports planned growth and longer-term stability for North Cestrian as it approaches its tenth year.
There remain practical steps to complete: the feasibility work must confirm how the site will be laid out, the timing of building work and the logistics of delivering phased pupil increases. The council and the trust will also need to secure planning approvals and manage construction without unduly disrupting neighbouring streets and services.
Still, the deal marks a clear outcome to a lengthy local campaign to keep the Loreto site in educational use. For many parents who feared the loss of a town-centre school site to housing, the purchase offers a measure of reassurance that Altrincham's school provision will grow with the town.
