‘Unsightly and derelict’ buildings in Stockport town centre are to be demolished to make room for the next stage of a £145m office scheme - creating a new ‘vista’ near the railway station. The properties, along Wellington Road South (A6) and Railway Road, will be knocked down so Stockport Exchange - which already boasts two modern office blocks, a Holiday Inn, multi-storey car park - can expand even further.
The Stockport Exchange masterplan includes eight ‘phases’ of development - with work on the fourth of these underway. Each phase brings it closer to the A6 and council papers say the ‘poor condition and appearance’ of the properties is now having an ‘negative impact on the desirability of Stockport Exchange as a ‘premier office’ location.
Demolition work was signed off by leading councillors at a recent cabinet meeting in order to boost the attractiveness of Stockport Exchange and prepare the sites for future phases of the development. In the meantime, the buildings will be replaced with ‘improved temporary landscaping’ to enhance the appeal of the ‘A6 corridor’, through the town centre.
Council leader Mark Hunter told the meeting that it made sense to knock down the ‘derelict and unsightly’ buildings - some of which have also fallen victim to anti-social behaviour. “These buildings have very limited use, given the uncertainty around their future and generally in a very poor state of repair,” he said.
“The proposal is to demolish them, as they will ultimately need to be demolished anyway, and create a more pleasant green area which will allow views from one of our busiest roads into one of our most successful development schemes - Stockport Exchange - which will in turn improve the appearance of the scheme.”
Coun Hunter said that, as well as being ‘quite unsightly’ the buildings created a ‘physical barrier’ which prevented people from seeing the ‘good work that’s going on behind it’. “I think the removal of these buildings and doing some temporary landscaping on the site will open up the window so more people can see the very impressive work that has been happening at Stockport Exchange for quite some time now,” he added.
The council leader noted that people visiting the town by train after several years away often ‘would not recognise it as they walk out of the station and see the new office buildings and green spaces that are in front of them’. “From the A6 side, at the moment, the vista is not quite as encouraging and it will certainly be much better once those buildings come down,” he added.
Deputy leader Coun Wendy Meikle agreed. “It will sort of be the finishing touch to it won’t it, the vista, you can see the lovely new buildings, the modern buildings and green space near the station will be fantastic,” she said.
“And it’s about time.”
Stockport Exchange forms part of the Town Centre West regeneration area which aims to create a 4,000 home urban village and 1,000,000 sq ft of new employment space.
Developments include the new transport interchange, The £60m conversion of the Grade II* Weir Mill into 253 flats and proposals for 442 apartments at ‘Royal George Village’.
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