Train station bid reaches next stop
PLANS that would see Cheadle to be served by its own railway station for the first time in nearly 60 years continue to steam ahead with the submission of a full planning application.
The scheme has been in the pipeline since 2020, when the Stockport suburb was invited to bid for up to £25m from the government’s £3.6bn ‘Towns Fund’ - a key plank of ministers’ ‘levelling up’ agenda.
It was ultimately awarded £14m for a trio of projects - including an eco business park and walking and cycling network - with the £9m railway station proposal being the largest and most ambitious of the three.
Efforts to deliver the station have been driven by Cheadle Town’s Fund board - a partnership of leaders from the public and private sectors and local community.
Now a planning application has been lodged in anticipation of the government giving the green light to a full business case submitted by council bosses earlier this year.
Papers say that a new station in Cheadle has been ‘identified as a key piece of infrastructure’, considered to be a ‘high priority’ by both the council and the Towns Fund board.
A planning statement reads: “The development will also preserve the setting and special character of Cheadle and the development will also assist in urban regeneration by improving connectivity and reducing social exclusion.”
The proposed site off Manchester Road is also said to be the ‘optimal location’ for the new station.
Documents set out proposals for a new stop on the Chester to Manchester (Mid Cheshire) line next to the Alexandra Hospital - around 100 metres north of Cheadle High Street.
The stop would include the following facilities:
A single platform located to the north of the existing Chester to Manchester railway line with covered waiting shelters.
Associated car parking, including Electric Vehicle (EV) charging spaces and accessible spaces.
Secure and covered cycle parking.
Passenger drop off facilities.
The plans also include new vehicle and pedestrian access from Manchester Road and an additional pedestrian and cycle access from the main Alexandra Hospital car park.
Spaces would be lost from the existing Alexandra Hospital car park, but these will be replaced either by new parking areas or a reconfiguration of existing spaces - meaning there should be no impact on how the site operates.
According to documents, Stockport’s public transport shortcomings have contributed to severe congestion and created air quality issues- particularly along the A34 corridor.
And there is said to be strong support for the construction of a new station in Cheadle.
A survey carried out by Cheadle Village Partnership in 2020 found 85pc of more than 1,200 respondents said the lack of rail connectivity and local congestion were their biggest concerns.
More recently 72pc of 485 people who filled in a council survey last year, said they ‘strongly agreed’ with the station proposal.
This was opposed to the 3pc who ‘strongly disagreed’.
While a section of the site sits within the green belt documents claim the project is in line with national and local policy.
Documents say there is no need to prove ‘very special circumstances’ apply, as only a ‘limited’ amount of building is proposed - and this is ‘closely associated’ with the existing car parks and train line.
The statement adds: “Even if the view was formed that there was a degree of impact on the openness of the green belt, the overall benefits of the scheme and delivery of wider strategic objectives would represent very special circumstances and outweigh any harm caused by the development.”
A decision on whether to grant planning permission will be made by the Stockport council’s planning and highways committee.