Stockport Exchange car park reaches peak

Muse Developments and Stockport Council celebrated reaching the highest point in the construction of the new multi-storey car park at the £140m Stockport Exchange scheme with a topping out ceremony.

The car park will provide 1,000 spaces adjacent to the mainline station and forms an integral part of the development. It will improve parking facilities for rail commuters and support the new commercial business district which is to be developed as part of the scheme.

During the ceremony, Muse Developments joint managing director Matt Crompton was joined by Cllr Iain Roberts, executive member for economic development and regeneration at Stockport Council; Barry Roberts, area director at contractors Morgan Sindall, and representatives from Network Rail, NCP and RHWL Architects to install the final nut and bolt on the structure.

The car park will be complete and open for trading in February 2014.

The project team for this first phase includes: Contractor Morgan Sindall; RHWL Architects; project manager quantity surveyor and CDM Co-ordinator Gleeds; services engineer Hannan Associates; structural engineer Hill Cannon Consulting LLP.

The car park received £5m of funding from the £100m Station Commercial Project Facility, following Stockport Council's successful bid. The £100m Station Commercial Project Facility is a DfT fund which is administered by Network Rail.

The fund aims to improve railway stations and reduce the cost of the railway to taxpayers. Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council successfully bid for £5m of funding towards the cost of the car park under Tranche 2 of the SCPF allocation process.

Stockport Council's Executive approved plans to borrow £18.5m to forward fund phase two of the Stockport Exchange development last month.

The council will access prudential loan facilities to fund construction of a 120-bed hotel, 50,000 sq ft of offices and public realm facilities in conjunction with Muse Developments.

Stockport Council borrowed £15m in 2011 to fund the first phase of the development, which includes highway improvements and the car park.

It remains business as usual for the rest of the existing leisure complex including Army Careers, Cineworld, Davies & Co, East Orient, First Step Finance, Life Leisure Grand Central Pools, McDonald's and Subway.