Stockport rubber stamps 4,000-home vision
The council has approved a framework mapping out plans for high density urban living, a modern health hub, and a new school across 280 acres in the east of the town centre.
Stockport Council’s cabinet signed off the Stockport Town Centre East strategic regeneration framework last night. It will now be a material consideration in future planning decisions, guiding development proposals to align with the Council’s ambitions for the town.
Drafted by CBRE, with Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios, CW Studio, and Stantec, the plan sets out the council and its mayoral development corporation’s ambitions for 4,000 homes in the east of the town centre, building on the work already underway in the west.
Stockport Mayoral Development Corporation’s Town Centre East vision, which stretches eastwards from Wellington Road North to St Mary’s Way and northwards from Hempshaw Lane to the M60, forms part of a wider £1bn transformation programme.
To date, £600m of private sector cash has flowed to the west of the town centre as a direct result of the work the MDC has done to unlock sites and speed up development, according to the council.
Projects delivered and emerging within Town Centre West since it was established in 2019 include the revamped Stockport Interchange, Capital&Centric’s Weir Mill, the 170,000 sq ft Stockport Exchange office development, and Stockport 8 – a 1,200-home scheme being delivered by ECF.
Overall, Stockport is targeting 8,000 new homes in the town centre, focusing on brownfield sites and easing the pressure on the borough’s ample Green Belt.
Credit: via Stockport Council
Cllr Mark Roberts, Leader of Stockport Council, said: ““We’ve made huge progress in Town Centre West, and now we’re ready to bring that same ambition to the area to the east of the town centre as we shape the next chapter of our town’s story.
“[The Town Centre East framework] gives us the route map for achieving our vision to double the number of new homes to 8,000, making the best use of brownfield land to significantly meet our borough’s housing needs while creating well-designed neighbourhoods that revitalise our town.”
The area mapped out in the SRF will be split across three distinct neighbourhoods, -Goyt Riverside, Hillgate, and Historic and Civic Heart.
- Goyt Riverside – transformation of the the riverside corridor into a lively residential community anchored by a new riverside park and an “interactive waterside landscape”
- Civic and Historic Heart – focuses regeneration around Piccadilly, where schemes will be expected to complement the area’s heritage
- Hillgate – featuring the uncovering of Hempshaw Brook and the creation of a green, connected neighbourhood that strengthens links with surrounding communities, according to the council.
Roberts added: “We’re investing in infrastructure that matters – a health hub, new secondary school, green spaces and connectivity – while boosting opportunities for local businesses and attracting new investment.
“It’s also about enhancing what we already have – restoring our historic charm, opening up picturesque riverside settings and improving travel routes.”
