Stockport Interchange park on track for spring 2024 completion
The two-acre space will sit on top of the town’s reimagined bus station as part of the £120m mixed-use vision.
The Stockport Interchange project, which represents part of a major £1bn investment in the town centre, is being delivered by Transport for Greater Manchester, Stockport Council, and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.
The council’s communities and transport scrutiny committee met on Monday to discuss the progress made in design, construction, and plans for the park on top of the new interchange. The authority also supported the use of existing funding to maintain and develop the space.
Contractor Wilmott Dixon will deliver the park, which is billed as a “central, connecting space”, according to a council document.
Proposals for the green space feature play equipment and street furniture, as well as an event space to be installed to provide a space for creative activities.
As part of the wider Bee Network vision, a connecting walking and cycling bridge will also provide new routes from the interchange through the town, and to the Trans Pennine Trail and town centre.
At the meeting, councillors raised concerns regarding potential anti-social behaviour as the park “could become a serious target”. Although security patrols and CCTV are not part of current plans, the committee heard that it is expected that good lighting, more walking and cycle routes, and nearby businesses will act as deterrents.
The final plans for the park will soon be submitted for approval, with the process on track for a spring 2024 completion.
The park forms part of the wider Stockport Interchange project, a £120m revamp of the town’s ageing bus station.
So far, the scheme has seen the demolition of Stockport’s old bus station and work is now nearing completion on its replacement, which broke ground last March.
The new interchange will feature a fully accessible, covered passenger concourse with seated waiting areas, 18 bus stands with capacity to accommodate 168 bus departures per hour, and cycle storage facilities.
The development also includes a 196-home apartment block, delivered in partnership with CityRise, a joint venture between Cityheart and Rise Homes.
Plans for the Stockport Interchange were submitted and approved in 2018 as one of the landmark schemes within the Stockport Mayoral Development Corporation’s Town Centre West regeneration masterplan, which will see 4,000 new homes, leisure space, workspace, public realm, and amenities delivered across a 130-acre site.
The project team includes structural engineer Renaissance, The Harris Partnership, Forever Consulting, and Optimised Environments.
I can’t believe security and CCTV cameras are not part of the plan why spend this amount of money on a flagship project and then leave it to the mercy of vandals.
By Alan Walley
A brilliant transformation, I don’t see why people think it will be vandalised, St Peters Square just round the corner hasn’t been, however a bus station should be covered by CCTV so people feel safe at night.
By Pablo
Great looking project but no doubt my fellow Stockfordians will be lining up to out do one another with negative comments.
By Monty
Security? Non existent then, do these people live in a “real” world?
By Anonymous
Absolutely fantastic! Love it
By Lizzie
CCTV is everywhere else in Stockport so why not in a place which is going to attract down and outs? People need to feel safe in places like this, especially late at night.
By Craig B