The proposed levels of housing and employment growth across Stockport will result in an increasing number of trips being made by all transport modes to, from, and within the borough. In order to facilitate a significantly higher proportion of journeys to be made by sustainable modes of transport, new and existing sustainable transport infrastructure will be protected from future development. This includes infrastructure associated with walking, cycling, other physical modes of travel, micro-mobility and public transport.

Disused rail alignments represent an important strategic asset for the borough and offer potential opportunities for the delivery of new fixed-track links and/or pedestrian and cycle routes. Alongside other existing active travel corridors, these assets can contribute to the wider walking and cycling network. While this policy does not prevent development adjacent to such infrastructure, it seeks to ensure that new development does not compromise the continuity, functionality or efficiency of these routes. It is also important that development does not inhibit the potential for existing transport infrastructure to be upgraded. This could, for example, include setting new development back from the site boundary to enable the widening and improvement of an existing transport route, such as widening an existing narrow footway or providing segregated walking and cycling facilities.

The development of new transport infrastructure will require land. It is the role of the Local Plan to ensure that the land the council is likely to require to enhance our transport network is safeguarded and protected from development until suitable transport improvements can be delivered in an appropriate and timely manner.

The Stockport District Local Implementation Plan sets out how the council will work towards our priorities including economic growth, improving the environment, and social inclusion by building on Stockport's planned and current transport projects, many of which are set out in the Greater Manchester Transport Strategy (GMTS) 2040 5-Year Delivery Plan (2021-2026) or future updates of this document.

1. Where statutory processes identify land as being required to enable the development of Metrolink infrastructure within Stockport, no other development of that land will be permitted unless it is demonstrated that it would not cause any impediment (physical, financial or other) to the delivery of Metrolink.