The rise and fall of Grand Central - from post-industrial wasteland to THE place to be in 1990s Stockport

For decades it was THE place to go for kids in Stockport, but much of it has been reduced to rubble while what's left remains under threat. Grand Central opened in 1991 as a multi-million pound entertainment, leisure and shopping complex.

For over 20-years, a huge triangular void of post-industrial wasteland had been left hidden between the A6 and Stockport railway station. In 1990, this waste ground was cleared to construct the exciting new development in the hopes of bringing life and prosperity back to this area of the town.

Manchester Evening News journalist, Mick Middles, wrote about the plans to redevelop the land in June 1990: "This waste ground, visible only to customers of the British Rail car park, has been flanked at the front by a huge car showrooms, and at the side by the so-called 'Canyon of Despair,' the infamous road which snakes menacingly to the station ticket office. To place this in a larger perspective, this entire area of Stockport, despite remaining typically lively, has long since seemed to have lost its feel of prosperity."

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The idea was to build a retail and leisure complex that would both serve the people of Stockport but also attract more people to the town centre. The plans included building a new nightclub premises and a leisure centre sporting an Olympic-sized 50m swimming pool.

There would also be a new Quasar laser tag facility, bowling alley, shops and an eight screen multiplex cinema. One of the biggest attractions was the new 20,000 sq ft nightclub.

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Built on two levels and costing £4.5 million, the plush new Coco Savanna nightclub was built to serve Stockport's clubbers, many of who would regularly travel out to Manchester for a night out. Manchester boyband Take That even performed at the venue before they made it big.

Stockport has experienced a boom in recent years in terms of redevelopment and desirability. The M.E.N said of the new club in October 1991: "The swish double decker disco owned by First Leisure and managed by Craig Smith has been a hit since its opening in May of this year.

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"On Saturday nights the queue snakes up the star-studded stairway and and the dance floor is filling up by 9.30pm. The VIP lounge is ideal for nocturnal train spotters with its large glass windows overlooking platform one at Stockport station."

Adding: "The buzz that was promised is there. And people are arriving from outside the borough to get a taste of the action." There was also a new Grand Central Square pub for those wanting a slightly more sedate night out - or as prelude to a date night at the new multi-plex cinema.

Beginning life as the MGM - Metro Goldwyn Mayor cinema, in September 1991 the Stockport Express wrote how the town's newest cinema boasted "state of the art technology, combined with luxurious surroundings." It read: "The box-office is fully computerized and features an advance booking facility which accepts Visa and Access cards.

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"Now a great night out is only a phone call away. Auditoriums are fitted with luxury seating and there is wheel chair access and facilities in every one."

Over the years, the cinema was rebranded. It was purchased by Virgin Cinemas in 1996, later being taken over and rebranded by UGC before the millennium. Another sale in 2005 meant the cinema spent its remaining years as a Cineworld.

The Coco Savannah nightclub also went through a number of changes in its time. Later in the 1990s, the venue became Volts.

In 2016, a promotional video for the nightclub surfaced online which was described as 'peak 1990s'. The advert featured psychedelic washes of colour, an alien who liked to party in Stockport, and clubbers throwing shapes on the dancefloor to a '90s rave anthem.

The video begins with alien 'Commander Time-warp', dressed in a cape, telling the viewer he lands on earth each week to party at Volts. And then we see a night unfold at the club, featuring a variety of neon-clad clubbers and dancers in '90s staple parachute pants.

The venue later became Heaven and Hell. By this time it had acquired somewhat of a dodgy reputation, and in 2005, management brought in hand held metal detectors and even sniffer dogs, to try to deter trouble.

Heaven and Hell became known for its pole dancing competitions, foam parties, and old school disco nights. Also built as part of the Grand Central entertainment complex was Stockport Super Bowl bowling alley.

The plush 36-lane venue came complete with its own bar and fast food restaurant, attracting local players but also competitors from all over Greater Manchester. But over the years, most of the attractions have disappeared, including the Quasar laser tag and the bowling alley.

The Heaven & Hell nightclub closed in the mid-2000s along with Brannigan's restaurant underneath. The building was demolished in 2012 as part of redevelopment of the Grand Central complex.

In 2018, it was announced that the Grand Central Cinema was set to be demolished after more than 25 years entertaining audiences. The cinema had closed the previous year before - replaced by the Light Cinema at the enormous new Redrock leisure development.

Now, one of the last original elements of Grand Central is also threatened with closure. Life Leisure at Grand Central is still used by residents in many areas of the borough, and those living and working around the growing town centre.

For years it has been a point of pride for the town, being home to Stockport Metro swimming club which has produced Olympic medal winners. But the future of the leisure centre now hangs in doubt after the ageing building was found to be in need of a multi-million pound refurbishment, with permanent closure of the leisure centre not being ruled out.

The Grand Central area of Stockport is currently undergoing a massive redevelopment with only a few of the original 1990s businesses remaining. But for many, in its bustling 1990s heyday, it was the place to go for kids in Stockport.

What are your memories of Stockport Grand Central? Let us know in the comments section below.