Burnham: Stockport has set blueprint for how to regenerate ‘a proud English town’
An event marking the fifth birthday of the town’s mayoral development corporation saw the Greater Manchester Mayor heap praise on “the Brooklyn to Manchester’s Manhattan” for setting the standard for swift and impactful transformation.
Andy Burnham has agreed to triple the scope of the Stockport Mayoral Development Corporation following a five-year period that has kickstarted regeneration in the west of the town centre.
Projects the MDC has had a hand in since 2019 include the new transport interchange, the redevelopment of Weir Mill, and Stockport 8 – a 1,200-home neighbourhood in the early stages of development.
“I could not have imagined what was possible when the MDC was first proposed,” Burnham said.
“I think [the MDC has] done something that many others have tried to look at and failed. [Stockport] is the first that I can think of to come up with the plan for how you regenerate a proud English town, but actually tilt it towards the 21st century. I can’t think of anywhere else having achieved that.”
Stockport’s success cannot be entirely pinned to the formation of the MDC in 2019. The town has strong fundamentals that have provided the foundation for recent change.
Danielle Gillespie, director of regeneration, partnerships and major projects at Homes England, has been heavily involved in Stockport’s recent rise. She reflected on a conversation with the agency’s chief executive prior to the MDC’s formation.
She said: “If we can’t deliver in Stockport, I don’t know where we’re going to deliver town centre regeneration.”
Being close Manchester, as well as the strength and vision of the council were among the fundamentals Gillespie cited in Stockport. However, the momentum built up in the town over recent years would not have been possible without the MDC, she said.
“If we had not secured the buy-in to a comprehensive approach and a Mayoral Development Corporation it could have just been a few shiny jewels in the crown,” she said.
Expanding the scope of the MDC will see its boundary pushed out to incorporate 280 acres in the east of the town centre, earmarked for 4,000 homes over the next decade and a half.
Overall, Stockport wants to deliver 8,000 homes within the MDC, choosing to lean into the concept of town centre living to stave of threats to development in its Green Belt. The densification of the town centre will also bolster the business case for Metrolink’s arrival into the town, according to the mayor.
The MDC, and the pace of development it has facilitated, is why Stockport “has eyes on it from all over the country”, Burnham said.
A similar model is in the works in Bolton in the hopes of driving transformative town centre change there and the Mayor said he is hopeful of replicating Stockport’s success across the city region.
“[Stockport’s success] it is why we’re looking at MDCs right across Greater Manchester,” he said.
Burnham closed by laying down the gauntlet to the room full of stakeholders from the public and private sectors who had gathered to celebrate five years of the MDC.
“You’ve not just changed your town, I think you’re going to change many others across England as devolution grows in the next decade.
“I’m looking at you all now in the eye, you’re going to have to make the next five years even better. Now, if you can, then there’ll be no stopping Stockport.”
Andy Burnham is now openly endorsing NIMBY authorities? The sooner senior figures in the Labour party start calling out the disgraceful behaviour of the likes of Stockport and Wirral the better.
By Anonymous
The North/South divide in GM is worse than in England as a whole. Stockport getting the tram,when it is 10 minutes from Piccadilly on a fast train, and and an hour and fifty minutes from Euston, to me is a waste of money, which could be spent elsewhere.
By Elephant
What about shops in Stockport, we need a better selection of shops, Princes Street is an absolute disgrace.
By Mavis
Elephant, bringing the Metrolink to Stockport is about better connecting it with Chorlton, Didsbury and eventually Ashton. Currently those connections are atrocious if you dont have a car. Absolutely not a waste of money.
By M. I. Grant
@elephant, not everyone gets the tram to go solely from their stop to the city centre. Linking Stockport to other neighbourhoods (Didsbury, Chorlton, Withington etc) is a great idea. Personally I think there should be a circular line similar to the London underground. Connect neighbourhoods, rather than all of them being city centric.
By Egg
Insufficient numbers of social housing schemes are in the mix, so far, and the GM Mayor and the Stockport MDC have failed to explain any trickle-down designed to relieve high rent pressures down the housing chain. The Council’s waiting list for housing is still VAST. There is no SMBC plan for “over-the-shop” housing schemes; nor conversion of redundant shops to houses, despite regulatory facilitation of such projects.
By John Fidler
@October 30, 2024 at 12:05 pm
By Mavis
There’s Old Town. This has a great selection of independent shops.
By Rye
Burnham Kidding himself if he thinks the blunt tool of a MDC can be lifted from Stockport and applied uniformly across GM. Stockport has particular geographical and transport advantages that other GM towns just don’t have.
By Anonymous
Better public transport linkages to the airport are required, as well as regenerating Edgeley centre.
By Anonymous
I am not sure why linking Didsbury with Stockport ,is more important than linking Bury with Rochdale and Oldham, via Middleton.
By Elephant
@Elephant the wider picture is here is increasing the connectivity in the South of Manchester through Stockport.
By Anonymous
Everything is great in GM says Andy- not so great that Stockport needed to leave the GMSF to get on with something that was set to roll before Big Andy took over, great now though, right?!
By Dan H
The tram is definitely city centric, and most people don’t want to go into the city
By Anonymous
It’s looking good, however it’s a shame the larger shops have left, there are some independent shops but £250 for a shirt I think not. Hopefully when the metrolink arrives there might be more investment and they those who think it’s a waste, it isn’t, it will bring people into Stockport from the surrounding areas.
By Unimpressed
More labour rubbish
By Anonymous
I second what egg said. A solely radial approach is so inefficient. There should either be a circle line or radial lines joined up like clover leaves; e.g. the Traff Centre line joined up to eccles. The altrincham line joined up to the airport line. etc.
By Anonymous
Yes, Egg!
By Allergic to Squirrels
Until Hope’s Carr and Underbank are fully redeveloped the task will remain incomplete.
By Anonymous
Whenever new Metro lines are built, they have a positive economic effect. The line to Stockport is the missing link in the system. It’ll be great for Stockport.
By Francis
@Elephant – the tram is also much more accessible if you use a wheelchair, as well as the very good point @Egg makes about getting to places like Chorlton. The tram coming to Stockport will be brilliant.
By Anonymous
I am suprsed that Mr Burnham has heard of Stockport.. all his attention is focused on North Manchester..ie Bolton Salford ETC..
By Sheila
You’re probably right, Mavis. What addition to the selection are you going to open there?
By Anonymous
There are a lot of places in South Manchester, such as Rusholme, Fallowfield, Longsight, that don’t have a railway station and are dependent on slow buses. These need metrolink, not Stockport, that has a fast train service
By Anonymous
Stockport needs shops, Princess Street is just a derelict disgrace. The only reason Stockport needs the tram is so residents can leave quickly.
By J.J.
If Stockport is a ‘success’! Then why has the MEN just published an article stating that Stockport hit a grim milestone this week as the boroughs housing register has grown so big that it will take 12 years to find homes for the 8,000 people on the council’s current housing register.
By Anonymous
You can’t polish a turd but Andy will roll it in glitter 🤣
By Paul
Everything in GM is good to Andy Burnham. Lest we forget that wasn’t quite what he was saying when Stockport decided to leave the GMSF because he’d come in with his size 10s and trod all over a ready to go agreement. #allspinnoaction
By Dan H
To every solution there is a problem. Well in the PNW comments section there is.
By Hazel Groves
I have worked on Princes Street for the last thirty years. I have watched its decline and the money wasted on so called improvements . We were subjected to railings outside the shop while the paving was laid and red rock built. The road is now a speedway track for kids in blackout gear , the cycle shed has more robberies than ever . We will not mention the lack of police in the area it’s a joke!!!!!
By Anne