Work starts on new town centre homes
WORK has begun on a £9.4m housing development hoping to help transform Stockport town centre into a great place to work and live.
A ground-breaking ceremony took place at the London Square site as Your Housing Group and Bardsley Construction started building 74 new homes.
The Nuvu Covent Garden development will have a mix of one, two and threebed houses and apartments. They will be available for sale, rent and shared ownership.
It is part of the wider Covent Garden Urban Village project that began in 2012 and upon completion in 2019 will contain 250 homes across 9.2 hectares.
Councillor Kate Butler, cabinet member for economy and regeneration, said: “I’m delighted to see the Nuvu Living Covent Garden project making progress.
“The scheme will bring a mixture of homes within our town centre, enhancing the area and playing a significant part in the regeneration programme currently taking place in Stockport.”
London Square itself is being redesigned and empty properties on Crowther Street and Lower Hillgate, as well as former council flats, will be demolished to make way for the development.
The nearby Lowry Steps, off Lower Hillgate, which were recently used as a location for a film about the painter, will be preserved.
Currently a £1bn investment scheme is taking place across the borough to create new jobs and 1,100 homes.
And increasing the number of families into the town centre is seen as a key to growing the demand for businesses across other nearby developments.
This is particularly the case for night time economy offerings such as the Redrock leisure development.
Progress on the Covent Garden scheme has been hampered by the undulating landscape of the area.
Lorraine Donnelly, from Your Housing Group, said: “We see real potential in Stockport, it’s a great town with fantastic transport links to Manchester and London.
“Nuvu Covent Garden fits our vision and I have every faith our new development will be a terrific asset for Stockport and make an attractive place to live for young professionals, families and first-time buyers.”
The ground-breaking ceremony had representatives from Your Housing Group, Bardsley Construction and Stockport Council.