Frances Jones is the head of strategy and operations at Stockport MDC. Credit: Marketing Stockport

Stockport MDC appoints head of strategy and operations

Frances Jones will lead Stockport Mayoral Development Corporation’s £500m Town Centre West regeneration strategy.

Jones joins the MDC from the think tank organisation Centre for Local Economic Strategies, where she was an associate director. Jones has also worked at Stoke-on-Trent City Council and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

As head of strategy and operations, Jones will be the point person for the MDC regarding stakeholder engagement for Town Centre West and will also manage the day-to-day business of the corporation.

Town Centre West is set to transform the landscape of Stockport, creating thousands of homes and more than 1m sq ft of commercial space across 130 acres – including 74 acres of brownfield.

Construction is underway for two key parts of the 15-year masterplan: Stockport Interchange and Weir Mill. The MDC is also working with the council and CBRE to secure a development partner for a third part of the scheme: Stockport 8.

Jones said: “I’m delighted to have joined Stockport MDC at such a pivotal time, where I will be able to utilise my experience in developing and delivering innovative approaches to place leadership, inclusive economic development, and community-forward regeneration, to support this next major phase in Stockport’s transformation.

“It is a privilege to be part of a vision that will deliver significant change for local people, and that puts housing, employment and planet front-and-centre, and a new benchmark for town centre transformation.”

Paul Richards, chief executive of the MDC, said he was “delighted” by Jones’ hire.

“I’ve no doubt she will be a major asset in helping us realise the next phase of our vision for Stockport,” he said.

“At the MDC, we’ve made substantial progress in just 3 years, by establishing strong relationships with private and public sector partners that share this vision. Frances will play a vital role in further establishing a collaborative approach, both with existing and new partners, as MDC moves into the next phases of our masterplan.”

Town Centre West is part of a wider £1bn town centre regeneration strategy in Stockport.

Your Comments

Read our comments policy

After just reading the above article about the hiring of Frances Jones to be part of the regeneration and transformation of an area of Stockport, I feel quite angry and frustrated about the amount of money being channelled into new projects when there are large areas of Stockport where residents are angry and fed up about the lack of services being provided by their local council, especially as the excuse provided by various councillors is that there isn’t enough money available! It strikes me that the people who are in a position to improve Stockport definitely need to get their priorities right!

By Gina Brooks

Why chuck all this money at a town centre when all 21 wards have regional centres that a few million spent on each would improve everyone’s lives not just visitors to Primark.

By Peter

Related Articles

Sign up to receive the Place Daily Briefing

Join more than 13,000 property professionals and receive your free daily round-up of built environment news direct to your inbox

Subscribe

Join more than 13,000 property professionals and sign up to receive your free daily round-up of built environment news direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you are agreeing to our Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

"*" indicates required fields

Your Job Field*
Other regional Publications - select below