BY HELEN WHITE
AFEW weeks ago I mentioned that an influx of town centre living will play a huge part in Stockport’s future sustainability by creating its own new town centre based communities.
The role of town centres is fundamentally changing. In the mid-late 1900s, suburban residential developments were building communities away from the town and city centres.
With a move away from the dominance of a retail offering, today’s town centres need to revert to build strong communities - places where residents can live, work, play and connect.
The seeds sown by the £1bn investment in Stockport that has been widely reported over the past 12 months are bursting into life, attracting interest from the corporate and commercial sectors, residents, workers and visitors who can see for themselves that Stockport is changing.
Now, Stockport has revealed its vision and ambitious town centre living strategy at the first Stockport Town Centre Living Summit.
Property professionals, town centre ambassadors and stakeholders joined Councillor Alex Ganotis, leader of Stockport council and Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, in Redrock’s new The Light Cinema where they heard more about Stockport’s plans, which is good news for business.
Public reaction throughout the consultation period of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (GMSF), which outlined major plans to build thousands of new homes on areas of greenbelt, spurred Andy Burnham to re-assess the GMSF plan, taking a more holistic view to combine the demise of town centres in their current guise with the need to build new homes, helping to address the UK-wide housing shortage.
Investment in Stockport town centre is already delivering new residential developments - like the White Lion restoration and Covent Garden Village - and improved public spaces.
The public have been asked to help to identify brownfield sites that have the potential for redevelopment. Bringing more high quality homes, open spaces and amenities to the heart of Stockport is set to stimulate a more integrated, vibrant community.
Andy Burnham broke the news that Greater Manchester has just been announced as the top region for growth in the UK in respect of employment and relocation.
In support of the region’s continued success, Mr Burnham described how the agenda for town centre living is gathering pace.
As Greater Manchester’s mayor, he has mayoral powers of compulsory purchase to unlock brownfield sites across Greater Manchester, including access to a £50m fund, to ensure potential sites can be developed.
Alex Ganotis told the audience that it was his intention to include the views of interested parties in Stockport’s town centre living strategy and build a retail environment more in tune with today’s lifestyle, with improved leisure facilities and a more diverse food and drink offering.
Stockport has plans to develop up to 6,000 new town centre homes which will surely create a more vibrant but ultimately sustainable town centre.
The town centre living strategy isn’t just about buildings, it includes the social infrastructure too – new schools, NHS provision, open spaces and leisure facilities.
Sadly, Stockport town centre is seeing four big retailers closing, but it is encouraging to see that the town centre has plans and is getting on with them to ensure Stockport has a bright future for everyone.