Stockport in stand-off with Stagecoach over land for £350m regen scheme
Talks over a deal for a bus depot off Daw Bank have broken down after the council refused to meet the operator’s financial demands, prompting the authority to use compulsory purchase powers to acquire the site.
Despite protracted negotiations, Stockport Council and Stagecoach have failed to reach an agreement over an important piece of land the authority needs to deliver Stockport 8, a £350m, 1,300-home regeneration scheme.
A council report published today states that a CPO is now needed to prevent “significant delays” to a major part of its town centre redevelopment programme.
Stagecoach, which is the leaseholder on the Daw Bank plot, is “demanding a financial payment… in excess of the sum to which the council’s advisers consider it is entitled” the cabinet report states.
The site makes up the majority of the land needed for phase one of Stockport 8. The project features 435 homes, including 82 affordable ones, under plans from ECF that have already been approved. The scheme has also secured an allocation of £41m from Greater Manchester’s Good Growth Fund.
However, at present the project cannot progress due to a difference of opinion between the council and Stagecoach over the site’s valuation.
Stockport 8 will provide around 1,300 homes overall. Credit: ECF
The consequences of not agreeing a deal could be significant, the report states.
“Not only does the ongoing uncertainty risk significant delays to the delivery of a key regeneration scheme, but it could also risk the loss of the significant public funding that has been secured for the development”.
The plan, which had been agreed by the parties, had been to relocate Stagecoach to two temporary depots off Heaton Lane and Kingston Street while a permanent replacement in Cheadle Heath is developed.
The relocation is required so that the Daw Bank site can be demolished in early 2027 to pave the way for phase one of Stockport 8.
Stockport believes it has a “compelling case in the public interest for commencing the compulsory purchase process”, according to the report.
Stockport Council and Stagecoach were contacted for comment.
