Investar primed for Royal George Village approval

Stockport Council is expected to grant planning permission to a £65m redevelopment of part of the Stockport College campus into 442 apartments and other uses.

Investar Property Group submitted plans for the scheme, called Royal George Village, in May and hopes to build the apartments together with offices, workspace for start-ups, public realm, car parking and landscaping on a three-acre site bounded by Greek Street and Wellington Road South.

The site in central Stockport consists of six buildings at present, two of which would be retained, under Investar’s proposals designed by studio DAY Architectural.

The 115,000 sq ft Torkington Building would be converted into 122 apartments, while the 60,000 sq ft Lyme Centre would be demolished and replaced with a 258-unit apartment block.

The Grade II listed Greek Street Building – the former Metropolitan Girls’ School – would be converted into collaborative co-working space for local businesses, and a new-build ‘gateway’ building would be constructed providing 62 apartments at the corner of Greek Street and Royal George Street.

Meanwhile, the Hexagon lecture hall would be demolished and replaced with public realm and civic space “to enhance the setting of the grade two-listed War Memorial Art Gallery and former Metropolitan Girls’ School”, Investar said.

In addition, the 16,000 sq ft University Centre building would be demolished to provide an internal, south-facing courtyard to create additional public open space and private gardens for residents.

There would also be complementary commercial uses at street level, under the plans.

Investar purchased the site from Stockport College in April for an undisclosed sum. The college’s decision to sell the site was part of its strategy to revamp its education offer after receiving an ‘inadequate’ rating from schools regulator Ofsted last year after merging with Trafford College.

Investar’s application was submitted jointly with the Trafford College Group, which operates Stockport College.

Subject to planning approval at a Stockport Council committee meeting on Thursday, Investar plans to start work on site in early 2021 with the conversion of the Torkington Building.

The scheme would be delivered in three phases, allowing the college to lease back the Lyme Building and Greek Street Building until its new campus on Wellington Road South – currently under construction – is completed in 2021.

Royal George Village is targeted to complete by the end of 2024.