Masterplan for Stockport Town Centre West revealed
Stockport Council has revealed details of its plans for Town Centre West, a sizable regeneration area which is set to include 3,500 homes, 1m sq ft of employment space and social infrastructure for tenants, delivered as part of the creation of the Mayoral Development Corporation.
This consultation into the strategic regeneration framework for the site will open at lunchtime today.
The plans have been developed with Cushman & Wakefield, OPEN and WSP, and sets out the potential for around 3,500 homes of all types and tenures, along with the amenity and social infrastructure needed for existing and future residents.
The framework also proposes more than 1m sq ft of mixed employment space, an “urban riverside”, and a series of new and improved public spaces.
The proposals form part of the creation of the first Mayoral Development Corporation in Greater Manchester, according to the council the first in the country to focus on a town centre. Key themes for the plan are community, innovation, and sustainability, as part of the council’s drive to deliver town centre living in Stockport.
Cllr Elise Wilson, leader of the Council, said: “Stockport town centre is undergoing a massive £1bn regeneration programme. The Council has already created a track record of delivery through major commercial and leisure projects like Stockport Exchange and Redrock alongside improvements in the Market Place, transport investment to improve road access into and around the town centre, and ambitious plans for the future of the Merseyway shopping centre. The momentum we’ve already generated provides the ideal platform for long-term regeneration of Town Centre West as Greater Manchester’s newest, coolest, greenest new urban village. I hope local people, businesses, and stakeholders will be as excited as we are about these proposals and engage with the consultation so that it becomes a collective vision and ambition that we all share.”
Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “My commitment to a low carbon future, building on brownfield sites, and ensuring Greater Manchester’s town centres are able to fulfil their potential is very close to my heart. I’m very encouraged by Stockport’s response to the Town Centre Challenge and I’m happy to use my powers to create Greater Manchester’s first Mayoral Development Corporation. This will lead the regeneration of the Town Centre West area in a way which is consistent with my strategy for a truly integrated public transport system, along with enhanced cycling and walking links, that support sustainable urban living. This is the first Mayoral Development Corporation in the country to be used to support the regeneration of a town centre, and I’m delighted to be able to support Stockport’s ambitions in this way.”
The public consultation will run from Thursday 18 July to Friday 6 September 2019. The full document, along with the consultation questions, will be published on https://consultation.stockport.gov.uk/.
