Britons don’t shop the way we used to a generation ago, and we’re seeing the end of traditional high streets and shopping malls up and down the country. One of the most significant developments in recent months has been the demise of Manchester’s Stretford Mall.

Previously known as Stretford Precinct through the 1970s and Eighties, the refurbished shopping centre was opened with great fanfare in 1969 as Stratford Arndale. The name Stratford Arndale endured on bus timetables for many years after the centre’s name was revised to plain old Stratford Mall to distinguish it from the larger retail development in Manchester Town centre.

But, as part of redevelopment work to create a “new town centre” in Stretford that’s being led by Trafford council and Bruntwood Holdings, Stretford Mall closed its doors for the final time on February 27.

Nearby King Street has already opened as a new high street and public square. But there’s no doubt the Mall will endure in locals’ memories for many years to come.

Older residents will recall the day that boxing legend Muhammad Ali came to the Arndale as part of a promotion for Ovaltine. And many have been sharing memories of “wagging it” from school and hanging around the mall – getting their ears pieced, buying records, or simply doing what teenagers have always done.

Developers have put forward initial plans for 248 new homes where the shopping centre stood. These are set to be a mix of apartments and houses, with 120 one-bed flats, and 114 two-bed and 14 three-bed houses proposed for the site.

A new park is planned for the land too, with developer Bruntwood saying it wants this to be a place of ‘relaxation and social interaction’.

Rob Elsom, development director at Bruntwood, said that there would be a “big green public space going right into the heart of the town centre, which will be immediately adjacent to the high street and the new shops, creating a field of vision down to Saint Matthew’s Church at the bottom”. He added: “It’ll create an interesting focal point, and be somewhere for people to be able to spend time.”

He added: “What would be great is to be able to have retail all the way down King Street, all the way down the park, and then back up Chester Road where we’ve got existing retail at the moment. So we create a retail loop as well as having the anchor of Aldi on the other side.”

It’ll be some time, though, before these new features become as embedded in the public consciousness as deeply as Stretford Mall. Writing in memory of the mall on Facebook, local Wendy Austin said: “As a child if we were going to the precinct, we had to see the fountain. On the other side of the curve of the staircase were several fish tanks full of different fish. That was popular too.”

She describes how many birthdays and other memorable moments had been marked with a visit to the mall. She really getting: “My first roller boots. Barbie which I got because I had my appendix taken out. Twister too.”

It was the location of many locals’ first jobs, with Saturday shifts at the likes of Boots and WH Smith a traditional rite of passage for Stratford teenagers.

The new focus will be on housing, rather than retail. Ultimately, Trafford council hopes to build more than 750 new homes in the local area, with additional development phases still to come forward as part of creating a “new town centre”.

Contractors are now planning the next phase of development, with demolition work due to begin in June with an expected completion date some time in September.