The £250 million ‘masterplan’ for a brand-new mixed residential neighbourhood in Stockport has been unveiled.
Coming from Stockport Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC) and the English Cities Fund (ECF) – which is a joint venture between Homes England, Muse, and Legal & General – the “exciting” development will take shape to the west of the Greater Manchester town’s centre, and is currently known as ‘Stockport 8’.
Located on land either side of King Street West and next to the railway viaduct, the £250 million plans will reconnect the site to nearby neighbourhoods and the town centre, and aim to “bring life back” to what was once a “thriving” residential neighbourhood under the railway arches.
The ‘Stockport 8’ site is central to the wider £1 billion investment that’s currently being delivered across the town centre, and is “at the heart” of the £500 million Stockport MDC masterplan – which is aiming to transform Stockport into the most “sustainable” and “liveable” town centre in the region over the next decade.
The 130-acre Stockport MDC masterplan includes 4,000 new homes, alongside local amenities, green spaces, new workspaces, and “radical” transport improvements.
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The £250m ‘masterplan’ for a new mixed residential neighbourhood in Stockport has been unveiled / Credit: Stockport MDC
Alongside the draft masterplan for ‘Stockport 8’, a number of concept sketches have also been released.
Developers say the concept sketches show the project’s “early thoughts” for the next chapter in the story of Stockport’s revival.
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The ‘masterplan’ then outlines the aim for a high-quality and walkable green neighbourhood that combines all of the best attributes of the existing place with “innovative placemaking ideas”, in a bid to deliver a “vibrant” new part of town for the people of Stockport.
This includes up to 1,200 energy-efficient homes – a mixture of affordable, Build to Rent, and open-market sale properties – new spaces for local businesses and community facilities, green spaces to “promote health and wellbeing”, new walking routes to connect the wider town centre to surrounding communities, and also fully-accessible car parking, car clubs, and cycle parking areas.
Stockport MDC & the English Cities Fund have launched a community conversation on £250m plans to create an exciting new neighbourhood to the west of the town centre.
Plans also feature several chances to celebrate Stockport’s iconic local heritage, including new inclusive public spaces for markets, festivals, and live events.
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“This is one of the largest town centre regeneration projects in the UK,” commented Joe Stockton, who is the Senior Development manager at Muse – which is part of the English Cities Fund – “and it’s only right that the local community is at the heart of what we do.
“We’re excited to find out what local people and businesses want to see in the area to help us shape the plans, and ensure there is something for everyone.
“We want to design a thriving, inclusive neighbourhood that will deliver the needs of the community now, and for generations to come, and that has Stockport’s independent spirit and character at its core.”
Featured Image – Stockport MDC
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Demolition and regeneration plans for former Manchester shopping centre to begin next month
Emily Sergeant
Plans to demolish and regenerate a former shopping centre in a Manchester suburb are set to kick off from next month.
Following planning approval at the end of 2025, major plans to transform the former Chorlton Cross Shopping Centre into a ‘thriving’ new destination to live and shop are set to commence with demolition in the next couple of weeks.
If you’re unfamiliar with the plans for the new Chorlton neighbourhood, they include 262 one, two, and three-bedroom apartments, all with access to outdoor space through balconies and gardens, 53 affordable homes – with 49 of them being available for social rent – and around 3,500 sq metres of public open space with fully walkable routes and outdoor seating areas.
A mix of flexible retail spaces, including a new ‘Makers Yard’ suitable for smaller start-up businesses will also be included, alongside new tree planting.
Phase one of the project will involve the dismantling the former shopping centre and neighbouring Graeme House buildings.
According to developers, the first step will be to close the precinct car park at the end of this month, before new hoardings are installed around the site to close the area off to pedestrians and vehicles for safety reasons.
The demolition work is expected to begin in mid-June, and be completed by August.
Where possible, materials from the existing buildings will be reused during construction of the new neighbourhood in a bid to help reduce the number of vehicles needed to remove materials from the site.
“Demolition marks another major milestone for the project, which will completely transform the former shopping centre,” commented Georgina Lynch, who is the managing director at Manchester-based developers, PJ Livesey.
“Our demolition contractor will carefully manage any issues throughout the work, and we will continue to stay in regular contact with local residents and businesses as the demolition progresses.”
Featured Image – Supplied
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Full list of road closures announced as IRONMAN 2026 takes over Bolton next weekend
Emily Sergeant
The official route and full list of road closures have been announced, as Bolton prepares to host the IRONMAN next weekend.
Bolton has been the proud home of the UK’s IRONMAN race since 2009, and the world-renowned triathlon is all set to take over the Greater Manchester town once again in a couple of weeks time – with participants and spectators in thousands all preparing to flock to all four corners of the borough to the catch the action.
People of all ages and abilities – even including kids – are training to take part in three different events across the weekend.
And, as is always the case, residents and road users are being urged to plan ahead.
Bolton Council says a series of temporary road closures are needed to ‘ensure the safety’ of competitors and spectators.
⚠️ Road closures alert for IRONMAN 2026.
📆Friday, June 5 to Sunday, June 7.
For the safety of residents, visitors and athletes, roads will be closed at various times, and unfortunately some disruption is unavoidable.
Road closures are set to be the same as last year and will be in place for Night Run Bolton on Friday 5 June and IRONKIDS Bolton on Saturday June 6, before IRONMAN 70.3 then officially arrives on Sunday 7 June, extending from Pennington Flash in Leigh to Bolton, where Chorley New Road and the town centre will be most affected.
The town centre and Middlebrook retail park will be open as normal all weekend, but anyone driving into the town centre is advised to park at one of the car parks – which will be open as normal – rather than elsewhere or in the surrounding areas.
Anyone heading to Middlebrook from Bolton is advised to use Wigan Road (A676 / A58), to Manchester Road / Chorley Road (A6), and then use De Havilland Way (A6027) to reach the retail park.
Full list of road closures for IRONMAN 2026
All weekend:
Le Mans Crescent, Howell Croft North, and Howell Croft South will be closed from 6am on Friday 6 June to 9am on Monday 9 June, due to the course set up and build for the weekend events.
Friday 28 June – Night Run:
Moor Lane, Deansgate, Knowsley Street, Chorley Street, Spa Road (eastbound), St Edmund Street, Helena Road, and Bridge Street will all be closed from 5:30-9pm.
Saturday 29 June – IRONKIDS:
Le Mans Crescent will be closed all day
Deansgate will be closed from 6am-5pm
Sunday 30 June 30 – IRONMAN 70.3:
St Helen’s Road, Sandy Lane, Byrom Lane, Slag Lane, and Lowton Road will be closed from 6-10am
Wigan Road/Warrington Road (A573) will be closed from 6-10am
Bickershaw Lane, a short section of the A578, Nel Pan Lane, and Westleigh Lane will be closed from 6-10:45am
Atherleigh Way (A579) between St Helen’s Road and Kirkhall Lane, will be closed northbound only from 6-9:45am, and between Kirkhall Lane and the Talbot roundabout from 6-10:45am
Gibfield Park Way and Gibfield Park Avenue will be closed from 6-11am
North Road from the junction with Gibfield Park Avenue, Platt Lane and the A58 from Platt Lane to the Chequerbent roundabout will be closed from 6:30-11am
Park Road and Manchester Road (A6) will be closed westbound only from 7-11am
Chew Moor Lane / Tempest Road to Regent Road, and Regent Road to Chorley New Road, will be closed from 7-11:15am
De Havilland Way will be closed northbound from 7am-1pm
Victoria Road (A58) and Old Kiln Lane will be closed from 7am-1pm
Chorley New Road, from Beaumont Road to the Beehive Roundabout, will be closed eastbound from 7am-1pm but there will be access westbound throughout the day.
Chorley New Road, from Beaumont Road to Waterslea Drive, will be closed from 7am-1:30pm
Chorley New Road, from Waterslea Drive to St George’s Road (B6226), will be closed 7am-5:30pm
Chew Moor Lane, St John’s Road, Tempest Road, and Regent Road will be closed from 7-11:15am
Chorley Street, Bark Street, St Helena’s Road, Blackhorse Street, and Queen Street will be closed from 7am-3:30pm
Spa Road will be closed from 6am-6pm
“Facilitating events of this scale is not easy,” a spokesperson for Bolton Council explained ahead of the events arriving next weekend, “and it’s essential we put the health and safety of the participants and spectators as a priority.
“To ensure this requirement is met, temporary road closures will be put in place across the town, so we strongly urge residents and visitors to plan their trips with this in mind.”
Emily Sergeant -
22nd January 2024 
