The former Debenhams store in Stockport town centre is being lined up for an £850k overhaul as the council bids to breathe new life into the building. The authority is set to spend £850,000 on refurbishing the former department store - which connects Merseyway Shopping Centre and Red Rock leisure complex via a rooftop car park - in order to secure its medium-term future.
The council bought the building in 2012, but it closed last year after Debenhams went into administration. Since then, the building has not attracted any commercial interest and has recently been used as a storage facility. While the site is earmarked for a new town centre hospital, this is not expected to materialise for another five to ten years - and bosses are keen to ensure the building contributes to the town’s ongoing regeneration in the meantime.
Council chiefs says the building’s appearance is ‘poor’ and will detract from the new transport interchange - meaning it is ‘crucial that a physical change is made and a beneficial use brought to the site’. The ‘preferred option’ is a £850k investment to 'bring the building up to a standard that would enable one or more commercial uses to occupy in the former department store.'
