Bramhall Moor Lane as well as at Stepping Hill Hospital, though parts of the employment site at MAN Diesel have been redeveloped for housing as the nature of employment at that site has changed.
- In the east of the borough, the main residential area of Marple is surrounded by Green Belt which has a rural character and varied landscape. Its district centre is home to a wide variety of shops and services serving the wider area, along with the smaller centre at Marple Bridge. Development in this area has taken place over a variety of timeframes but there remains an important historic connection to Samuel Oldknow, which is an important part of the character of the area. The canals play a key role in the identity and history of Marple, with the junction of the Macclesfield and Peak Forest Canals forming a key component of the ‘Cheshire Ring’ providing leisure, recreation and tourism opportunities. The area is served by two train stations which link to Manchester but not Stockport. Access into the centre of Stockport is along the A626 which becomes congested at peak times. The area is well served by primary and secondary schools but has insufficient capacity for additional pupils. Marple and the wider area to Marple Bridge, Compstall and beyond are two areas of Stockport where local people have formed a forum to develop a Neighbourhood Plan for their area. This is also the case in High Lane, a predominantly residential village on the A6 which has a centre of its own serving local needs but which also suffers from severe congestion, especially at peak times.
- Also to the east of the borough but with more of an urban feel to it is Romiley, where a district centre serves the local community. The area has a variety of housing types, from smaller terraced properties to large, detached housing. The rail station in the centre of Romiley is served by trains which link through Woodley and Bredbury into/out of Manchester, however local roads suffer from severe congestion at times. The main roads in the area link through to the M60 and to the largest employment area in the borough at Bredbury Industrial Estate. This houses a range of employment types, although there is significant emphasis on industrial and warehousing uses, with connection to the M60 provided by the nearby junction.
- To the north and west of the River Tame, are local communities which make up Reddish, referred to separately as Reddish North and Reddish South. The area benefits from good access to local retail and leisure opportunities, particularly for some of the informal outdoor recreation opportunities afforded by Reddish Vale Country Park and the Tame Valley. Reddish also has relatively good access to the wider opportunities afforded by Stockport town centre to the south and Manchester to the north-west. The area boasts some of the borough's more significant employment opportunities, particularly around Greg Street and along the line of the former Stockport Branch Canal which closed in the 1960s. The area has seen some significant new development in recent years, particularly the reuse of lower quality employment land or the conversion of heritage buildings for housing. Similar development opportunities are likely to continue in the future, with a need to carefully balance new housing with maintaining access to jobs and provision of community facilities. The area is well served by primary and secondary schools, with surplus places available to accommodate additional pupils. Reddish's communities are well connected to highway networks and Reddish North is served well by a rail connection into Manchester, with fairly high frequency bus connections into Stockport. However, the area still has issues of traffic congestion and suffers from poor air quality in