There is tangible optimism about the future and ‘Totally Stockport’, the Business Improvement District (BID) for the town centre set up in 2017 with support from the council, has been pivotal in supporting this buzz of activity and maintaining the momentum with regular family events and initiatives to attract footfall and encourage future visits. The BID has successfully secured a second five-year term until 2027 and its vision recognises that the role of town centres is changing and that there is a need to provide both a destination of choice and an enhanced visitor experience.

Creation of the Town Centre West Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC) has sparked confidence from public sector partners, funders, the development industry and others in Stockport as a credible investment destination. The MDC was established in 2019 by the Mayor of Greater Manchester with a clear mission to deliver a new urban neighbourhood of 3,500 new homes, employment floorspace and supporting social infrastructure. This will be achieved on previously developed land in a sustainable location over an anticipated timescale of 15 years.

The corporation is the first in the country to focus on a town centre location and the boundary of the MDC now covers the entirety of the town centre, enabling a greater delivery of up to 8,000 new homes. It has the delivery capability and long-term multi-partner institutional platform needed to tackle the issues faced by the town centre, including:

increasing housing supply;

tackling viability constraints;

raising design quality;

pioneering low carbon development;

providing employment space; and

bringing about infrastructure improvements.

Doing this will future-proof Stockport Town Centre as a place of choice to live, work, and visit.

It is proposed that the town centre will increasingly become a focus for high density urban living and the vibrant hub of the town’s cultural life. The interventions to date and forthcoming projects are seeking to create the conditions whereby improved leisure, business, services, public realm, evening economy and accessibility will add footfall and vibrancy and ensure Stockport Town Centre becomes a desirable place to live.

Retail and leisure uses will still have an important part to play in the town centre, supporting the wider offer. Moving forward, the town centre needs to diversify to include a greater range of leisure and experience-focused main town centre uses, cafes and restaurants. There is an aspiration to provide a health hub in the town centre to give access to a range of services in an accessible location and increase the provision of health care uses to help serve its increasing population. The hub will provide opportunities for greater collaboration with universities, research and businesses, new jobs and increased footfall and activity.