We must build on cultural offering

LAST week I joined over 150 representatives and agents from the construction, investor and property world at Insider magazine’s Stockport Breakfast event, to learn how Stockport is building upon its recent successes and transforming Stockport to create a vibrant and sustainable town centre for everyone.

The seeds sown by the £1billion investment widely reported over the past 12 months are sprouting, attracting the respect and innovative status that Stockport deserves.

In a shrewd and smart business move, Stockport council have themselves ventured into property development, their vision to support business growth, to create a retail environment more in tune with today’s lifestyle, to provide improved leisure facilities and to encourage a more diverse food and drink offering coming to fruition.

Likewise, the successful completion and uptake of the initial regeneration and development phases have instilled confidence, not only among local companies, but among new investors who are attracted by Stockport’s future potential. That potential may only be realized with a strategy that focusses on ‘town centre living,’ broadening the current and creating new, residential communities.

Muse Developments have a long established, successful partnership in Stockport, a more recent seat at the developers’ table is Housing Capital Trust who have plans to turn the former Royal Mail sorting office into quality accommodation for younger, mobile, working people.

Plans have been submitted to create 117 apartments above a basement car park and lower floor mixed commercial units. This type of investment, along with plans to develop further town centre residential accommodation, will be the catalyst for change.

But it is important the developing Stockport continues to cater for and attract residents of all ages and build upon its diverse cultural offering to ensure a sustainable future for everyone.