Parliament approves Stockport MDC expansion
As Greater Manchester lines up equivalent zones across the city region, its first Mayoral Development Corporation will see its boundary tripled to cover the whole town centre.
A national first, the Parliamentary approval was driven by Stockport Council and backed by GM Mayor Andy Burnham, marking the first time this economic development and regeneration model has been granted a boundary extension.
Cllr Mark Roberts, Leader of Stockport Council, said: “This is a landmark moment for Stockport as we break the mould with our ambitious regeneration plans. We’ve been moving faster than prior legislation allowed, which underscores the scale of our vision for the town.
“Parliamentary approval to expand the MDC is a clear vote of confidence in what we’ve achieved so far and in our proven approach to town centre regeneration. Momentum is only building, with others now looking to our model as a blueprint for what successful town centre regeneration can achieve.”
The extension of Stockport MDC adds 280 acres to the existing 130‑acre footprint, creating a new 410‑acre boundary. The council has, with this expansion, doubled its ambition for town centre living, raising its housing target from 4,000 to 8,000 new homes by 2040.
The MDC will now amount to 410 acres. Credit: Stockport Council
A particular emphasis will be placed on unlocking the potential of underused sites to the east of the A6 corridor, a part of the town the local authority sees as central to its ambitions. A new health hub and secondary school are targeted here, alongside the push for more housing.
Stockport MDC summed up its achievements since foundation in 2019 as delivering:
- 1,200 homes either complete or on site, with 1,500 due to start on site in 2026
- £600m in private investment
- 170,000 sq ft of grade A office space at Stockport Exchange
- The completion of Stockport Interchange
- Continued development of Stockport Exchange, now in phase five, and home to 2,000+ employees.
- Transformation of Weir Mill, with developer Capital&Centric closing on completion of a 253-apartment neighbourhood
- Delivery of 73 rent to buy apartments at Platform with Great Places, and the start of construction at Chestergate – a £41m development bringing more affordable and social rent homes to the town centre
The next major project on the horizon is Stockport 8, an eight‑acre neighbourhood beside the historic viaduct on King Street West. Developed with ECF and supported by the Greater Manchester Good Growth Fund, it will bring 1,300 sustainable homes supported by new public squares and community spaces.
Greater Manchester’s enthusiasm to roll out the MDC model is obvious: Old Trafford, with Lord Coe in place as chair, is the most obvious, but the combined authority has also pushed on with advancing more, including the Northern Gateway venture between Rochdale and Bury.
January saw GM announce its intention to set up three more MDCs – for Bolton town centre. Ashton-under-Lyne and Stalybridge in Tameside, and one in Oldham to cover brownfield town centre regeneration and the SportsTown programme around Boundary Park.
The model is also now being pursued in Liverpool City Region, which is looking to boost regeneration in the north of the city centre across an area including the new Hill Dickinson Stadium.
