PLANNING | Reddish data centre tipped for go-ahead
Stockport’s planning committee is also expected to greenlight Great Places’ proposals for a 148-home development close to Capital&Centric’s Weir Mill.
Plans for the data centre came forward last year. Kao Data wants to build a 40MW facility powered completely by renewable energy off Kenwood Road in Reddish.
With JLL advising, the project involves the demolition of an existing 160,100 sq ft warehouse on the 10-acre plot to make way for the £350m data centre, a three-storey building of around 280,000 sq ft.
With the project inked in for an stablished industrial area, approval is recommended.
Also fancied for a go-ahead is the latest town centre residential scheme to come before Stockport’s committee.
Designed by Paddock Johnson Partnership, the £34m Great Places project proposes the demolition of all buildings on the site, at the junction of Chestergate and King Street West.
Amendments have been made since the application was submitted, with tweaks made including siting, exteriors, and refuse/cycle space.
Great Places wants to develop two buildings rising to eight storeys high and occupying most of the frontages to King Street West and Chestergate, split out as 59 one-bedroom flats and 89 two-bedroom flats.
The scheme is designed by Paddock Johnson. Credit: Paddock Johnson
All 148 dwellings are proposed as being affordable housing with 47 being offered as rent to buy and 101 as affordable rent.
The buildings, which would be separated by an area of open space extending from Chestergate to the River Mersey would be positioned parallel with the frontages to both King Street West and Chestergate. A riverside walkway with stepped access to King Street West is proposed.
The eastern building fronting King Street West would be five to seven storeys high with the greater height to King Street West and lower to Chestergate. Within the ground floor is a lobby, parking for 52 cycles, refuse storage, a plant room and a parcel/post room.
A roof terrace over the lower element of this building accessible from the fifth floor level would offer external amenity space to complement the communal gardens.
The western building, fronting Chestergate, would house 101 of the flats and be seven to eight storeys.
The project has already passed muster at Stockport’s central area committee, with issues including the removal of the locally-listed Mentor House, a former hat works, dealt with. Approval is recommended.
Interested to know how this is being completely powered by renewables? Hopefully not green tariff, REGO greenwash.
Massive opportunity here for capturing waste heat for a mini heat network for the local residents
By Anonymous
I truly wish Stockport would be left alone from building these horrible high rises. I left the city center due to the state of it now. Fancy for some who you say can afford living in them. What a load of rubbish! Manchester city center is not affordable housing. Makes me sick!
Leave our little heritage alone please 🙏 its not wanted here.
By Anonymous
@ Anonymous (March 15, 2024 at 5:09 am) – The proposed apartments on Chestergate / King Street West are in one of the most sustainably accessible places on the planet. If we don’t build taller buildings in locations like this then we might as well open the gates and invite the volume housebuilders onto the fields in our ecologically precious river valleys now. For context, up to 8 storeys really isn’t high rise – there have been taller buildings in and around Stockport town centre for decades, and most of them nowhere near as good as these would be. And 100% affordable, so you can’t really say they’re not affordable (although social rented would undoubtedly be better, but you can’t have everything).
By Gethin
Is the high rise in the room with us now?
By Anonymous
Where is the Data Cente being built. Is at the bottom of Station Road where the other outlets are. What sort if work wl they be offering is it’ll skilled or will they be unskilled as well. Or voluntary work.
By Kay Matthews