Stockport aims to have a thriving and productive economy, making the most of its assets, town centres and strategic employment locations. The NPPF requires a clear economic vision and strategy to be set that proactively encourages sustainable economic growth. Through supporting, increasing and enhancing economic growth the council will seek to reduce inequalities, promote diversity and improve prosperity, removing barriers to employment participation and improving access to employment opportunities.

Since 2015, Stockport's employment base has grown by 13% which is faster than the national and Greater Manchester averages. As such, the provision of more high-quality employment opportunities locally can help to retain wealth within the borough and enhance the vibrancy and vitality of our centres and their communities. However, the local economy lags behind Greater Manchester and the UK in terms of economic output, and the borough is also home to deep-rooted inequalities being the 8th most polarised borough in the country109. It is therefore essential that future growth is shared equally and benefits all.

The One Stockport Economic Plan forecasts Life Sciences, the Knowledge Economy, Creative and Low Carbon Economy are showing current growth and are important future growth sectors for the borough. In particular, the growth of the latter is pivotal in meeting the council's Stockport Climate and Nature (CAN) commitments. The restructuring and reorientation of the local economy is vital over the plan period. It is judged that the attraction of these businesses to locate and cluster within Stockport can help to grow the local economy and provide more high-quality employment opportunities for the borough's residents.

Cheadle Eco Park is to open in March 2027 and will be a new attractive location for growing and innovative companies looking to stay and invest in Stockport, offering units in a range of sizes designed to achieve BREEAM Outstanding standard and Net Zero Carbon in both construction and operation. Following the remodelling of an existing employment site that did not meet the needs of tenants, the 115,000 sq ft light industrial scheme has received £4.4 million in Government Towns Fund support aimed at enhancing the site's environmental credentials and is set to create 200 new jobs.

The importance of the foundational economy, including sectors such as utilities, logistics and manufacturing, is key to Stockport, particularly for employment opportunities and business growth. The Employment Land Review110 finds that industrial and light industrial vacancy is declining and together with the limited supply and strong demand this indicates a buoyant economy generally. In particular, land supply for logistics across the UK is constrained and demand