Stockport moves to unlock tricky affordable housing site
A compulsory purchase order will be used to acquire a plot of land in Higher Hillgate that is earmarked for 24 homes.
Stockport Council is seeking to bring the site on the corner of Higher Barlow Row and Higher Hillgate under its control. The authority owns part of the site while another three individuals also have an interest.
In addition, there are parts of the site that are unregistered, complicating the situation.
The private landowners have agreed in principle to having their plots acquired through compulsory purchase powers.
Meanwhile, the council will take out indemnity insurance to protect itself against future claims on the unregistered land.
Securing a clean title will pave the way for the site’s redevelopment by Stockport Housing Group, which has been working with the private landowners under an option granted by Stockport Council in 2022.
SHG’s plans for the site, which are awaiting approval, include seven one-bedroom flats and 17 with two beds.
Unfortunately there are no such affordable housings that can be constructed these days.The current building regulations mean that new buildings have to be to high specification to meet insulation energy efficiency and will probably need to have expensive heat pump and control systems.The LA will not accept developments like the fast track buildings that were built in the 1960,so as part of the Greater Manc
It is not possible to construct cheap affordable houses now because current building regulations have to meet stringent insulation requirements to meet energy efficiency along with very expensive heating systems such as electric heat pumps and controls.The LA will not be allowed to construct fast track houses and flats that were built to suit the Greater Manchester slum clearance programme in the 1960,s
By Paul Griffiths
My son is on minimum wage.
Will he be able to afford to buy one of the 1-bed affordable flats?
He has £10,000 deposit.
By Jennifer
Let’s get some of the apartments that are springing up everywhere filled before building more We have 1000 on the go now to be late bed 🛏️ n
By Anonymous
Once again flats when will they listen to what people want a house with a outside space
By Anonymous
Stockport homes doesn’t need to build more flats it need more houses so family’s that are stuck in flats can moved out
By Anonymous
As long as They integrate with the buildings that are on Hillgate. Don’t make Them stick out from the History around Chestergate.
By Anonymous
Brilliant that this is going to be used for affordable homes. Hope there are many more sites like this brought back into use for homes.
By Denise Gale
Can anyone apply for the on a lower part of the flats
By Yvonnejelbert
Proper housing ie upstairs downstairs garden NOTmore flats
By Anonymous
If you want a house, go and live in a house. There are plenty out there. But not everyone wants to or needs to live in houses, and this low-density development form is why there’s not enough homes for people and too much traffic. Apartments enable us to build more homes for people, while their density means residents are often able to live without a car. Plenty of people (myself included) prefer living in flats: they are smaller, cost less to heat and maintain, and my perception is they are safer as they don’t have a ground floor facing the street. Absolutely nothing wrong with flats, and calling them “not proper homes” is incredibly small minded IMO.
By Anonymous
by December 02, 2024 at 10:05 am
By Anonymous
I disagree about the ground floor. Active streets with a ground floor use actually makes a street feel safer due to natural surveillance.
There are also alternatives to both detached houses and apartments for inner cities such as townhouses.
By Rye
Why are there always people on Stockport-related threads harping on about not wanting flats and wanting more family housing?! There’s plenty of family housing around Stockport. This is a busy location, on the edge of the town centre. Ideally suited to flats and the Council’s housing register clearly shows the highest need is for 1 and 2-bed properties in the Borough. Get your facts straight before spouting nonsense on here.
By Anonymous
Rye – completely agree and we need to be delivering a diverse set of different house types everywhere: townhouses, duplexes, apartments, etc. Problem is, for too long we’ve developed only one type of home: the Great British Two Or Three Bedroom Semi-Detached House. This has created an inflexible and unresilient housing market which is now failing, and another approach is needed. Completely agree on ‘eyes on the street’ and the many pros of townhouses (I am very pro-townhouse!) but again you’re never going to get the densities required by just building townhouses. A mix of apartment buildings to provide the numbers and townhouses to animate smaller sites and further add to density and housing offer is my ideal.
I’ve lived in several flats and never been burgled or felt unsafe in any: you’re completely removed from the street itself. I’ve never even needed a burglar alarm! Wouldn’t be able to do this in a house. I personally feel much safer living in a flat.
By Anonymous
Just thoughtful, as per Paul Griffiths note, we don’t want to build stuff that has a higher lifetime cost, or gets torn down in less than 40 years.
By Rich X
The building of a mass of apartment blocks in a small area looks pretty as on the artists impression but it’s a mini Manchester. Soulless. It’s not a family environment. There needed to be more ground level housing, but flats bring in more cash sadly. It will be like manchester in a few years worrying to walk around in the evening.
By Rebecca Robinson