The Changing Face of Stockport

Littered with an ever-changing cast of building sites, road closures and empty buildings, Stockport can occasionally feel a frustrating place to travel around. However, it in fact signals that exciting times lie ahead for the South Manchester town.

Much of the work being carried out around the town centre is related to the Town Centre West regeneration programme, which is being put in place by Stockport's Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC). 

An MDC is a statutory body created with the sole purpose regenerating a specific area, in this instance Town Centre West. Stockport is the first and currently the only MDC to have been created in Greater Manchester.

This project is focused on six particular sites: Weir Mill, Mailbox, Stockport Exchange, Interchange, St Thomas Gardens and Royal George Village.

Along with giving these once neglected sites a much needed facelift, the MDC intends to deliver 3500 new homes for 7000 residents. To serve both new and existing local tenants, a key component of the regeneration plan is a wide range of new employment spaces, including retail and office space along with health and education provisions. It is expected that up to 5300 new jobs will be created for the residents of Stockport, crucial for the post-pandemic recovery of the town.

Aspects of the project have already been completed and have taken their place in the Stopfordian landscape. 

In close proximity to each other, both the Mailbox and Stockport Exchange were completed pre-pandemic. 

Completed by residential property developers Rise Homes, the disused former Royal Mail sorting office was creatively converted into 117 modern apartments, aimed primarily at housing young professionals. The renamed Mailbox boasts unrivalled transport links, with a less than 2 minute walk to both Stockport Bus Station and Stockport Train Station, whilst providing much more affordable rent than Manchester city centre.

To compliment the new-look Mailbox, just around the corner lies the modernised Stockport Exchange. The area gives a fresh welcome to visitors and returning residents alike, with green space, slick-looking pathways and an artisan coffee shop.

Stockport Exchange overlooks Stockport Train Station, therefore also benefitting from the same excellent transport links as the Mailbox. Many of the 5300 new jobs Stockport MDC have projected will be situated here. Office space here already hosts major employers such as Stagecoach and Music Magpie, not to mention the newly-built Holiday Inn and the scattering of cafes and shops at the ground level. Work is still on-going to fill the remaining office space, with multiple commercial development phases planned over the course of the next decade.

Works are now underway, albeit delayed by COVID-19, to bring the next stage of regeneration to life. 

Taking focus now is Stockport Bus Station, or 'Interchange'. The old bus station, as residents know it, no longer stands. In its place, a new £120 million transport interchange is under construction. 

The Interchange project is being undertaken by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and Stockport Council. Due to open to passengers in Spring 2024, it will feature a modern-looking bus station on the same level as it's predecessor. Above the new construction, but level with the A6, will lie a 2-acre landscaped park in a similar mould to that seen at Stockport Interchange. 

Controversially, overlooking the new park will stand roughly 200 apartments in a 180ft new-build tower. Some say this could interrupt key historical features of the area, being wedged between Stopfordian landmarks such the Hat Works, the Viaduct and the grade II listed Wellington Bridge, which opened in 1826 and has stood as the main route through Stockport ever since. 

In an attempt to further boost connectivity, a "new striking 180m pedestrian and cycle bridge" will be built between Interchange and Stockport Train Station, likely to run over Daw Bank and Exchange Street.

Stockport Town Hall chiefs are confident that the Interchange will be capable of eventually housing the extended Metrolink tram network. Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has previously stated that he'd like to start work on the extension from East Didsbury to Stockport by 2025. 

Although not at the same advanced stage as the Interchange, work has already begun on the Weir Mill renovation. The currently disused and derelict building, parts of which date back to 1790, has stood vacant for decades. 

The renovation is being undertaken by Manchester-based property developers Capital & Centric, in what is projected to be a £60 million transformation, backed by £7 million from the Housing Infrastructure Fund. The once seemingly forgotten mill will contain 87 flats, with a further 167 flats expected in two adjacent new buildings. They will also provide premises for new cafes, bars, a deli and other independent shops. Furthermore, the project will open up this section of the riverside to pedestrians for the first time, linking King Street West to the all-new Interchange. 

Although physical work is yet to begin on this project, planning permission has just been granted, with work expected to commence in early 2022. 

The final two projects being proposed by Stockport MDC are St Thomas' Gardens and the Royal George Village, both situated between the A6 and Shaw Heath and expected to form the bulk of the new Royal George Quarter.

St Thomas' Gardens is the site of a former hospital facility. Despite being out of use for over 15 years, many of the grade II listed buildings still stand. Stockport Council have acquired the site, on which they intend to repurpose the listed buildings to create an all-age residential scheme, expected to play a key role in the NHS's integrated approach to health and social care.

The site will be comprised of 67 new homes in a mixture of new and existing buildings, along with a 70-bed intermediate care and dementia facility. It is expected that this facility will act as a base for patients to transition, at their own pace, away from a full-time healthcare setting and towards more independent living.

On the opposite side of the area that will be known as Royal George Quarter, next to the A6 and behind the Stockport War Memorial Art Gallery, will form the Royal George Village.

Stockport College, the current occupants of the majority of the site, listed a number of the plots for sale in 2019 as part of it's relocation plans. The plots include the Torkington Building, the Lyme Centre, the University Centre and the Greek Street Centre. 

The site was taken on by Manchester-based property developer Investar Property Group as part of the overall Stockport MDC project. They intend to repurpose the space for residential use, creating 442 new homes, comprised of a mix of 1-bed and 2-bed apartments. In addition to this, the project will supply a new underground car parking facility, new-look shared community space and improved pedestrian accessibility between Greek Street and the A6. 

The new developments will be delivered via demolishing the Lyme Centre, to be replaced by a sixteen-storey residential tower, a six-storey residential building on the corner of Royal George Street and a repurposing of both the Torkington and Greek Street buildings, to make them available for residential use. 

The Royal George Village site will form a vital component of delivering the 3500 new homes that Stockport MDC aim to provide over the series of projects. 

Although planning and preliminary work may be underway, it appears that no physical work on the site has began. Information has not been made publicly available regarding when construction is likely start or be completed, having likely suffered pandemic related delays. 

The large-scale vision Stockport MDC are attempting to implement in the once forgotten town follows a pattern of investment over the past couple of years. 

Projects such as Red Rock, which has brought new restaurants and a vibrant new cinema to a once unloved area, are going some way to attract visitors from neighbouring areas. 

All this goes without mentioning the recent injection of culture felt around the Markets and Underbank. Foodie Friday has brought some much needed attention to the area, in turn attracting a host of new restaurants and bars, such as Dr Feelgood, which now hosts popular Northern Soul events and Comedy nights. 

Far from feeling like the tired town it once was, Stopfordians can now take increasing pride in their ever-changing, vibrant town and this is only set to continue with the above improvements in progress. Once all six phases of regeneration have been completed, attention must surely turn to the Merseyway shopping precinct. The area has felt the full force of the decline of the high street and it is evident. 

Stockport MDC are undoubtedly taking the town in the right direction, but the regeneration must look to include the vast ageing core of Merseyway if Stockport's true potential is to be realised.