[1] The site was owned by the Manchester Ship Canal Company which John Whittaker's Peel Holdings had been acquiring shares in since 1971.

[15] Manchester City Council also had a stake, but by the mid 1980s Whittaker had a majority control and proposed building an out-of-town shopping centre, and other schemes.

[16] The Peel Group submitted a planning application to Trafford Council for development of approximately 300 acres (120 ha) of land in 1986.

The application was called in by the Secretary of State for the Environment and legal disputes ensued requiring two public inquiries before planning permission was granted.

[31] In 2020, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, who had loaned Intu £250 million in 2017, exercised their rights as creditors to take ownership of the complex.

Although the extravagant Rococo and Baroque design may be viewed as gaudy, he argued the prospect of the shopping centre rapidly ageing was mitigated and long-term less renovation work would be required.

It is something to attract shoppers ... to give them the Dallas effect.The design was a collaboration between the architectural practices of Chapman Taylor and Manchester-based Leach Rhodes Walker.

[3] Peel Avenue, Regent Crescent, the Dome, and The Orient, comprising the original centre were designed so that visitor flows split equally between their two floors.

[33] There was a originally a market-style area at the end of Peel Avenue called Festival Village, playing host to a range of children's entertainment, independent retailers and restaurants.

[37][33] As of 1996[update] there were 45,000 square metres (480,000 sq ft) or £5.8 million of Tuscan marble and granite flooring from Montignoso and Quarrata,[38] and gold leaf adorns the building's columns.

[39] The Trafford Centre has decorative features such as red roses of Lancaster which pay homage to the local area and North West England.

A Mercedes car formerly belonging to John Whittaker's mother was initially displayed on the first floor mall outside F. Hinds but is now in Trafford Palazzo.

[42] Altrincham sculptor Colin Spofforth created bronze figures of a jazz band for the New Orleans theme,[43] and the crest, above the main entrance.

[1] It is decorated in the style of a 1930s ocean liner,[46] incorporating detail representing China, New Orleans, Egypt, Italy, americana and Morocco.

[citation needed] A £75 million 110,000 sq ft renovation for the area commenced in mid 2018, which included adding a first floor and a roof.

[8][53][54] Leisure facilities include a 20-screen Odeon cinema;[55] Laser Quest arena; an adventure golf course; an amusement arcade with dodgems and bowling, and a Sea Life Centre aquarium.