Vinci picked for £100m Stockport 8 first phase
The firm edged out Willmott Dixon in the race to be appointed preferred contractor for ECF’s 435-home scheme.
Vinci Construction, which is also working with Muse – part of ECF – on the £74m Blackpool civil service hub and the regeneration of St Helens town centre, has been selected to bring forward the first tranche of properties at the wider, £350m 1,300-home Stockport 8.
The 435-home initial phase will be constructed on the site of existing bus depots east of the town’s famous viaduct, which will need to be demolished. Work is expected to begin at the beginning of 2026.
ECF, a JV between Muse, L&G, and Homes England, tabled plans for the £250m resi-led project in December after months of public consultation.
The 10-year scheme, known as Stockport 8, is split into three phases:
- Phase one – 435 homes and 9,500 sq ft of commercial space on a 3.4-acre plot comprising the existing Stagecoach depot off Daw Bank and Viaduct Street
- Phase two – Up to 454 homes and 3,200 sq ft of commercial space on 3.3 acres immediately west of phase one.
- Phase three – 398 homes and 3,000 sq ft of commercial space on 2.5 acres north of the depot.
Paul Richards, deputy chief executive of Stockport Council and chief executive of Stockport MDC, said: “Stockport 8 is a cornerstone of our plans for Town Centre West, and reaching this milestone is a significant step forward in delivering our vision for a thriving, sustainable town centre. It’s fantastic to see momentum building for the regeneration of the area as a whole, with a number of exciting developments now progressing at speed and 1,200 new homes already completed or under construction.
“We’re pleased to welcome Vinci to the project as a key delivery partner and look forward to working together to bring this new neighbourhood to life – one that will set new standards for sustainable, community-focused urban living.”
Max King, project director at ECF, said: “We are delighted to welcome Vinci to the Stockport 8 team. Their selection follows extensive discussions with Vinci and Wilmott Dixon – both of whom were exceptional in their offers, professionalism and team approach.
“This is another significant milestone in delivering what will be an amazing new neighbourhood in Stockport, continuing the town centre renaissance. We submitted a planning application in December and look forward to a positive decision this spring before moving forward with demolition of the site in early 2026.”
The full team behind Stockport 8 is made up of architect Shedkm, landscape architect Planit, Deloitte on planning, project manager Walker Sime, Tace on MEP, and Renaissance for structural and civil engineering.
Arup is advising on highways and transport, Arcadis is cost consultant, and Font Comms has led on the community engagement.
Great that this is going ahead. Just amazing that the area is still a wasteland in 2025. Central Stockport is really becoming an amazing place
By EOD
Vinci are a great contractor but also one of the most expensive. How can this scheme which is already unviable justify a tier 1 contractor. Oh wait, I assume the public purse is picking up the tab. This is crazy that a scheme can be over specified and over designed and we, the tax payer, are paying for the private sector to benefit in such a way. Accountability seems non existent!
By Crazy horse
“Crazy Horse” if what you predict happens and the project needs financial support from SMBC or GMCA at some point down the line, an alternative view of this outcome is that it is a good use of taxpayer’s money to help deliver a well-designed and considered scheme (perhaps a more positive way of putting what you termed “over designed and over specified”) that will be to the benefit of all in the local area not just the people and businesses that call the Stockport 8 neighbourhood their home in the future. This race to the bottom attitude is perhaps why we end up with so much value engineered dross in our towns and cities compared to our continental European neighbours who cherish their urban centre environments and public realm more than we often do here in the UK!
This may be one large red herring as this scheme as been developed without any promise of public sector funding and is having to stack up on its own as a market led project.
By Anonymous
Just to let you know this area isn’t wasteland there are many small business who have been there for many years and now have to close down or relocate which will be very expensive
By Anonymous
In response to crazy horse response,
I am totally on board with decent design but in this specific instance there is zero chance of this scheme being delivered without massive public sector intervention in whatever form this might take. My point is that the two contractors referred to in the article are super expensive and do little work for the private sector on residential developments where there isn’t a massive viability gap. My simple example would be contractor x would build for maybe £210-220 Per sqft and these guys will be well north of £250. Muse know this scheme can’t be delivered without massive intervention but as they know HE or others will fill the gap there is little or no invective to reduce costs!
By Crazyhorse
Very nice love to see more photos of it
By Dale hart