It’s been a hectic year in Stockport as the town ploughs ahead with major redevelopment works ongoing to transform the centre into one of Greater Manchester’s most exciting places to live and work.
The council has prioritised building on brownfield sites to provide thousands of new homes, mostly apartments, around what will become the new transport interchange with the possibility of the Metrolink – the jewel in the crown of the town’s ambitions.
Not everyone is happy about the town centre approach though, and there have been plenty of calls for more green belt land to be considered to help spread out new homes across the borough.
Next year is set to be huge for Stockport, here are some of the key developments which will change the borough.
The new transport interchange
It’s a multi-million pound project which is due to open in March and is already well underway. It’s been designed to manage 168 bus departures per hour and the design includes a new two-acre park above the building.
The site is set to be surrounded by new apartments, becoming a focal point of the town’s redevelopment which has been inspired by the designs of some European cities and gives residents a riverside walkway to use to get around.
Crucially, the new transport hub is said to be “Metrolink ready” and provides a genuine opportunity to add to its wide range of public transport services in the town centre – it just needs the green light for work to begin.
Metrolink?
It’s been the talk of the town for years but so far Metrolink has eluded Stockport. Could 2024 be the year it is finally announced? Council bosses certainly hope so, and have been making the case for the expansion of the network at every opportunity.
Most recently, the Mayor of Greater Manchester met with Stockport council leader Mark Hunter to lay out plans for a business case for the Metrolink coming to Stockport, which is due to be published in 2024.
If the result of that is positive, which is expected to be the case, then it’s hard to see how any further delays could be made for the key moment of getting spades in the ground and expanding the network.
The Underbanks
The Underbanks, part of Stockport’s historic old town, sits next to the marketplace and is home to a number of independent shops and food and drink outlets, creating a space for residents to relax in the town centre.
Just as well, because with an influx of people expected to move into the thousands of central apartments due to be built, Stockport is hoping to be the place where people can enjoy a night out as much as being a place to live and work.
There is still work ongoing to redevelop the area and fill the buildings with businesses, and that is set to continue at pace in 2024, rivalling anything on offer to residents in other areas of Greater Manchester.
Stockport Exchange
Next to Stockport railway station, work is ongoing to attract more businesses to the town through the construction of modern office buildings and transport connections to both Manchester city centre and London via the west coast mainline.
The council recently shared plans to begin work on five derelict buildings on Wellington Road South due to be demolished and incorporated into the scheme, and a 64,000 sq ft office building due to open early next year.
It also aims to add an additional 4,000 new homes to the town centre in the area in what has been dubbed Stockport’s new business centre.
Weir Mill
The historic former cotton works has benefited from a pot of cash amounting to £60 million which is transforming one of Stockport’s most treasured buildings into a range of new town centre apartments due to open in 2024.
In total, 253 new homes will be created through the work at Weir Mill, along with a new outdoor space and shops and bars, although none of the new apartments are due to be designated as “affordable”.
The developer, Capital&Centric, celebrated the latest construction milestone in November when the concrete frame of the 14-storey building reached its highest point. Council leader Mark Hunter said it will “greatly improve this area of the town centre, providing much needed, good quality homes.”
Royal George Village
Greek Street links the suburb of Edgeley to Stockport town centre via Wellington Road South, and it’s undergoing a massive transformation to become the site of hundreds of new homes.
The grade-two listed Greek Street Building, the former Metropolitan Girls’ School, is due to become a new co-working space, and a new-build six-storey ‘Gateway’ building on the corner of Greek Street and Royal George Street is underway, with sales on apartments set to begin next year.
Change is also coming to the armoury roundabout area. Network Rail is planning major works to the Greek Street bridge, which is expected to begin in early 2025 and cause traffic disruption for up to nine months in the area.
