College on route to new bus station?
TROUBLED Stockport College may have found a route to a brighter future - by relocating to the town’s bus station.
Outline proposals to redevelop the station at Daw Bank into a £41m Stockport Transport Interchange have already been drawn up, although no formal planning application has been submitted yet.
And now Stockport College - along with the council and Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) - are investigating whether it could relocate above the new interchange.
The council is stumping up £500,000 for ‘feasibility work’ to see if the college can be incorporated into plans. The college will later repay the money.
A council report says: “The willingness of TfGM to consider development on, or adjacent to, interchange schemes across Greater Manchester provided the opportunity to explore the development of a new college facility above the interchange in a pocket park approached directly from the A6.
“Combining the interchange project with the project to build a new town centre college facility will present significant challenges.
“In the short-term the council has agreed with the college and TfGM that it will provide funding for the feasibility and development work needed over the coming months in advance of working up a scheme design and planning application.
“This work will also look at any shared community services which can be incorporated into the site.”
Stockport College, which has been graded as inadequate by Ofsted, is also considering a merger with Trafford College after seeing one with Oldham and Tameside fall through.
It sold the majority of its site at Wellington Road South to the Homes and Communities Agency and is still occupying it on a lease back arrangement.
This runs out in 2020 the same year as the interchange needs to be finished.
Incorporating the college into this timescale alongside the already planned concourse, shops, cafe and possibly new homes - is described as ‘challenging’.
A decision on the proposal is expected next year but it is thought to be viewed favourably by the council.
Caroline Simpson, corporate director for place at Stockport council said: “The council and TfGM are working together to redevelop the bus station into a new transport interchange for Stockport.
“As part of discussions associated with this we are keen to explore different development opportunities that may be appropriate for construction in conjunction with the interchange and the relocation of the College is one of these options.
“Over the coming months we look forward to working with TfGM and other partners, including the college, on the joint feasibility exercise that will help us assess the facilities which could be incorporated in the design and the opportunities any such decision would create, ahead of any future planning application.”