COULD this design be the answer to Hale Barns' shopping centre problems?

The village is currently in the middle of a massive dispute over proposals by Citybranch to develop the Square shopping centre.

A planning inquiry into this scheme will get underway on March 27.

But while many residents and the council have objected to the current scheme, because of its size and for traffic reasons, most people agree that the Square needs revamping.

Peter Noble, the regeneration manager for Altrincham Town Centre Partnership, has drawn up this design for the Tithebarn Centre'. He believes its appearance is sympathetic to Hale Barns' heritage.

As well as reducing the height of the proposal, it aims to blend in with the area, remove the single large supermarket, and set the buildings back from the road. The current Co-op store could be retained, possibly in slightly larger premises.

Peter said he was putting this forward as an alternative to the rather brutal out-of -town shopping complex' currently proposed by Citybranch.

He said: "The concept is traditional and it is something that people could be proud of, instead of something made of concrete and glass."

He said if the protesters win the appeal the design could be taken to Citybranch to "signal the way forward."