The prospect of Cheadle having its own railway station for the first time since the mid-1960s is now said to be ‘tantalisingly close’. The £9m project is the largest of three schemes bankrolled by the government’s Town’s Fund - a key plank of its flagship ‘Levelling Up’ agenda.
The proposed new stop would be on the Chester to Manchester (Mid Cheshire) line next to the Alexandra Hospital, just 100m north of Cheadle High Street. A related £1m package of walking and cycling improvements would provide access to the station and High Street and other routes, while a £4m eco-business park makes up the rest of the £14m Towns Fund schemes.
Efforts to deliver the station have been driven by a dedicated board including Mary Robinson, Conservative MP for Cheadle and town hall economy chief Councillor David Meller.
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But there is still one last hurdle to clear - the government must approve a full business case for the project. Now Stockport council’s cabinet has agreed to sign off and submit the documents to ministers for the final sign off.
A decision could be made later this year, with construction getting under way as early as 2024. Speaking at a cabinet meeting on Tuesday night, Coun Meller said making the station a reality was now ‘tantalisingly close’.
He said: “I’m very, very, very hopeful to suggest that we will be successful. We have pretty much got a partial green light but we need a full green light now. And I’m fully expecting the government to give us that unless something dramatically changes. But I don’t want to put my neck on the line too much at this stage.
“To get this over the line would be a tremendous achievement.”
Coun Meller, who represents Cheadle Hulme North, said he made a commitment to improve public transport in Cheadle and the wider Stockport area when he was elected in 2018. “The opportunity we have had through the Cheadle Towns Fund and we have got through the Cheadle Towns Fund means we are on the cusp of delivering that pledge I made four years ago,” he said.
“As people will know Cheadle’s public transport connections are, shall we say, not particularly great but, through the potential of having a railway station back in the heart of Cheadle and undoing the work of Mr Beeching we have an opportunity to finally address this.”
Coun Meller added: “To get this over the line would be a tremendous achievement. When we had this opportunity come about a couple of years ago, essentially I made my view in terms of not only do I want Cheadle to obviously benefit from this funding, but the whole of Stockport needs to benefit as well.”
According to council papers the new station would feature a single 100m-long platform with covered waiting facilities, live departure boards and ticket machines which caters for trains in both directions. There would also be a new junction on Manchester Road, opposite but offset from the existing access into Ashlea public house car park.
The report also notes a ramp and stairs from the station car park to the platform and improvements to existing pedestrian and cycle facilities within Cheadle. New routes will also be created to connect walkers and cyclists to the station.
Stockport council's cabinet met at Fred Perry House on Tuesday night (March 15).
