Stockport

[poshbakerloo]

So is outside the station going to be one huge carpark!?

[marni1971]

Isn't the plan to use this space whilst a multi storey is built on the present car park? Then to remove the temporary car park and redevelop the site?

[flange]

Yes that is the plan marni.

[Metropacer]

Phase One includes a new multi-storey car park, highway and pedestrian access improvements and dedicated cycle centre, by 2014. The new car park will meet demand for more parking next to the railway station and encourage more people to take the train.

Planning consent has been granted for the multi-storey car park and £5 million funding secured from Network Rail. Temporary car parking for commuters and users of existing leisure facilities will be provided during its construction.

Phase Two will deliver the first commercial office block, new public space, a new hotel and more highway and public transport improvements by 2015.

Phase Three will include a further three office buildings, extension of the open space and further improved accessibility for pedestrians by 2020.

Info from: http://www.stockport.gov.uk/services...s/grandcentral


http://www.placenorthwest.co.uk/news...d-central.html

Aim is for Grand Central to become an "office quarter" with leisure/entertainment focused more down in Mersey Square, possibly on the site of the current Debenhams.

There's also the big former Royal Mail Sorting Office near the station opposite McDonald's waiting for redevelopment, and over the other side of town the Knightsbridge site of the current Sainsbury's on Warren St that's going to be replaced by a new one across the river. Not to mention the Bridgefield development behind Merseyway that never happened. A lot of holes to fill...

I think this is their latest redevelopment document: http://www.stockport.gov.uk/2013/297...cdevprospectus

[pixel2006]

Originally Posted by davey_jim

There are a few small scale social housing developments around the market and the former Peaches nightclub site.

What could make a big difference is the Hopes Carr and Covent Garden plans around Lower Hillgate.

I hope these can spur some revitalisation, because although there is the potential for a vibrant area around the Market and Underbank area, there isn't much going on after 5pm to keep you in the town centre currently.

Talking about not much going on, is the Hopes Carr development paused for the delivery of something? I keep near by it on a Friday evening and it seems not to have changed over the last few weeks from my view point.

[DiscoSteve]

depends which end you pass - there does seem to be a growing steel structure going up at the bottom end closest to the Town Centre

[pixel2006]

Originally Posted by DiscoSteve

depends which end you pass - there does seem to be a growing steel structure going up at the bottom end closest to the Town Centre

I pass the other end. From that vantage, the steel structure doesn't seem to be growing. But, I guess I am wrong.

[A6 Bypass]

Stockport to be one of the "Portas Pilots".
Link is generic but mentions Stockport lower down.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/n...as-pilots.html

[flange]

A little bit more information in Stockport winning.

Stockport wins £100,000 share of Portas Pilot cash to revive High Street

Jennifer Williams and Deborah Linton

May 26, 2012

Stockport has beaten hundreds of rivals for a pot of government cash to revive its struggling high streets.

The town is one of just 12 places nationwide to be picked as a Portas Pilot town - a government scheme inspired by retail guru Mary Portas.

The news means Stockport will get £100,000, which the council will match with another £100,000.

Portas herself will be on hand to offer advice to help the town encourage creative and independent traders to set up shop.

The 'town team' behind the successful bid plan to revive the historic Underbanks area of Stockport, which they believe can become a rival to Manchester's Northern Quarter.

Stockport was one of 12 places selected from more than 370 places to bid for a share of £1.2m. Ms Portas praised the town's bid as 'young and fearless'.

The government's cities minister has now announced that 15 more areas will be selected to become pilot towns by the end of July. It will give a second chance to Rochdale, Levenshulme, Eccles, Prestwich and Macclesfield, which missed out this time.

Stockport council leader Sue Derbyshire said the news was fantastic and would allow the town to try out new ideas.

She said: "The historic centre of Stockport is a hidden gem.

"There's some cracking stuff going on - such as the vintage village - but it needs customers and footfall and this will give us the opportunity to try some things that otherwise we wouldn't be able to do.

"This is very encouraging - and hopefully will encourage other people to see that investing in Stockport is worthwhile."

Traders and politicians in Rochdale described their omission from the list of winners as 'extremely disappointing'.

The town had its bid backed by politicians including government ministers Baroness Warsi and Eric Pickles.

Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk said "While it's disappointing, we can draw many positives from this experience. The council has accepted a short-term strategy is needed to make longer-term regeneration possible."

Town centre retailer Paul Turner-Mitchell, who runs independent fashion store 25Ten Boutique, said: "It's extremely disappointing - we thought we had a really strong bid."

http://menmedia.co.uk/manchestereven...ve-high-street

[iheartthenew]

£200,000. Should pay for a few signs and a bit of pavement resurfacing...

[Bricos]

One of the problems with Stockport is the place is built on multiple levels. This is not a problem if you are young and fit, but for older people and the disabled it creates a somewhat disjointed area, and access by car is not exactly straightforward. I don't suppose it's exactly ideal for someone pushing a pram, either. One big improvement would be the development of a series of lifts (or maybe the sort of cable tramways you see in places like Scarborough.)

I don't see this happening any time soon. Meanwhile there are other places that are much easier to shop in - Trafford Centre, Bury and City Centre Manchester to name but three. All are relatively flat and easy to get round, Bury and Manchester have good public transport access and Trafford Centre is ideal for the car lovers.

[WatcherZero]

Thats the bid video but from what ive heard what the Governments actually going to do will mostly revolve around car parking and trying to rival Manchester for shopping street quality.

[DiscoSteve]

I known that young lad since he was 3 years old

[retroscient]

Originally Posted by DiscoSteve

I known that young lad since he was 3 years old

I've never seen him before, but as first impressions go that was the way to do it!

Regardless of the merits or flaws of the Portas Pilots scheme, I'm genuinely really pleased to see someone my age (and a fellow Manchester University student at that, too!) taking a visible step up to try and get some regeneration going in their part of the region. More like him, please.

Good on you Joe.

[WatcherZero]

I imagine the council basically approached them and said 'we need a bid video on the cheap, how about your students do it as a project?'

Thats what happened when the NHS came to our MBA course and asked for a free marketing consultation.

[flange]

Bridgefield scheme could be brought to market this year

30th May 2012

By Mike Fahy - Assistant Editor

A LEISURE-led scheme on the former Bridgefield site in Stockport town centre could be brought to the market by the end of the year, according to the council's service director for place improvement, Paul Lawrence.

Development of a scheme anchored by a multi-screen cinema operator and a new Debenhams is a key priority for the town centre's improvement, Mr Lawrence said, as it improved linkages and traffic flow with the Merseyway shopping centre and could help to stimulate the town's night-time economy.

Speaking at a recent property & construction lunch held by Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, Mr Lawrence said that Stockport was generally acknowledged in Greater Manchester as "the place that should be more successful than it is".

Although it has some of the most affluent suburbs in the city-region in places like Cheadle, Bramhall and Heaton Moor, its town centre has suffered from a chronic lack of underinvestment.

"You could say that it's still stuck in the 1960s - it's certainly not had much investment since," he said.

That was set to change a few years ago when Australian developer Lend Lease proposed its £500m retail-led Bridgefield regeneration scheme, but when the property market turned sour it pulled the plug on the project in 2008.

Stockport Council recently acquired the long leasehold on the existing Debenhams building and car park, and earlier this week the the council's executive also approved buying up more buildings on the site to create a new public square linking the leisure scheme to Merseyway.

He said that Stockport faced the same challenge as most other prominent towns outside regional city centres did in convincing developers to bring office and retail-led schemes in to their towns, but added that the council had "made it clear we are prepared to intervene to get things moving" through its purchase of sites for its Bridgefield scheme and the Grand Central development last year.

Mr Lawrence said that he hoped that pre-lest with both Debenhams and the cinema operator could be signed this year, which will then allow it to bring the scheme forward to the wider marketplace.

This would also provide fresh impetus to Merseyway shopping centre, which he described as "not a thing of beauty" that covered the source of the Mersey - where the Tame and Goyt rivers meet - when it was built. The centre is now effectively in the hands of the UK taxpayer, after Law of Property Act receivers were appointed in 2009 after its former owners defaulted on loans owed to Bradford & Bingley.

Another priority is the town's market, which Mr Lawrence described as "a hidden gem", which doesn't achieve anything like the footfall it should.

The council has begun to rectify this by beginning to appoint a new operator for the market, with a tender document due to be issued within the next few months.

The nearby Underbanks area has just gained £100,000 under the Portas Pilot scheme, which it will use to help revitalise the markets and build a creative arts complex that will host outdoor film screenings.

At Grand Central, demolition has been taking place of the former bowling unit and the Heaven & Hell nightclub to provide temporary surface parking for commuters until a new 1,000-space multi-storey car park is built - for which the council hopes to gain partial funding from the Department for Transport. Once the car park is built, developer partner Muse plans to bring forward an office-led, mixed-use scheme that will also contain a hotel.

It is also planning a series of traffic calming measures on the A6 to help increase permeabilitiy through the town centre.

"We think that with the BAM building nearby, this is the best place in Stockport for Grade A offices," he said.

Meanwhile, at Woodford a two-day consultation took place last weekend hosted jointly by Stockport and Cheshire East councils over plans for Woodford Aerodrome, which was sold by BAE Systems earlier this year in a £100m deal to JCB heir Joe Bamford's company, Avro Heritage.

Its proposals for the site involve merging two developable areas amounting to 42 hectares of land at the northern end of the site, which would be transformed into a 950-home "garden village".

This would pave the way for a joint venture between Avro Heritage and Redrow-owned Harrow Estates to build on the site. Mr Lawrence said that he hoped the supplementary planning document for the site could be approved by September so that a planning application for the scheme can be submitted by the end of the year.

Avro Heritage then plans to use the proceeds of any land sales to Harrow to develop the southern part of the site, where it is planning a film studio, an equestrian centre and other attractions.

http://www.thebusinessdesk.com/northwest/

[retroscient]

Originally Posted by WatcherZero

I imagine the council basically approached them and said 'we need a bid video on the cheap, how about your students do it as a project?'

Thats what happened when the NHS came to our MBA course and asked for a free marketing consultation.

I don't think so, it says at the start that he organises a film festival in Stockport too, so he does seem to be the proactive sort. BBC News said the bid was led by him and his brother.

Regardless - Stockport is getting an injection of government support and experimental retail revival. About time too.

[DiscoSteve]

His whole family are into TV - Joe has been in Coronation Street and Hollyoaks too.
Anything to raise the visibility of Stockport and encourage investment can only be a good thing.

[Tony_H1]

Think this was the Heaven and Hell club and cinema next door? Anyways not much left of it now!

Taken from the same link that Metropacer posted in the Goyt Valley bridge scheme.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/allengleave/7221749080

http://www.flickr.com/photos/allengleave/7221748738

http://www.flickr.com/photos/allengl...th/7228217076/

[Saul Silver]

Stockport is a decent little town if you think about it, yes there are many problems, buts they are nothing extra money couldnt fix over time.

It is crying out for some major re-imaging.
Something like "Come to Stockport, youd be as mad as a hatter not too!" featuring lovely images of the Stockport skyline (including the Viaduct and the Pyramid).

There is potential.