‘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.
