Property

Stockport asked to ‘join the conversation’ as CAPITAL&CENTRIC launches consultation on iconic Weir Mill

Locals are being asked to give their opinion on the project - which will see the creation of 250 new homes, as well as independent shops and green space.

The Manc The Manc - 27th July 2020

Social impact developer CAPITAL&CENTRIC has launched consultation on its £60m plans to transform Weir Mill in Stockport into a thriving new mixed-use community.

Local residents are now being asked for their feedback on the proposal – which includes the construction of 250 new homes, modern riverside frontage, spaces for independent traders (such as café-bars, delis or shops) and surrounding courtyards and green spaces.

CAPITAL&CENTRIC announced the regeneration plans in May – hoping to bring a new lease of life to the waterfront with shops open to all members of the public.

Weir Mill began life as a water-powered cotton works in the late 18th century and remains a treasured part of Stockport town centre – with its original water wheelhouse and mill building still standing today. 

Adam Higgins, co-founder of CAPITAL&CENTRIC said: “Weir Mill is an enduring icon of Stockport’s industrial past, which even inspired local artist LS Lowry. But many of the buildings are now in a pretty bad state so we have to find a viable long term use for them or risk losing them forever.

“Our plan is to create a thriving new town centre community, where incredible places to live sit alongside green spaces and amenities looking out across the river. 

“This isn’t just going to be a development for the people that live there, we’re creating a quiet space in the town centre where you can grab a coffee and sit by the water surrounded by some of Stockport’s best historic architecture.

“We want to know what you’d like to see there. This could be café-bars, delis or independent shops but we’re open to ideas. So, join the conversation and tell us what you think!”

COVID-19 restrictions means public meetings aren’t possible. However, CAPITAL&CENTRIC have been engaging with the community by other means including:

  • Sending a newsletter to nearly 5000 households and businesses in the area with a tear-off questionnaire
  • Hosting an online questionnaire at: www.weirmill.com
  • Encouraging feedback via phone on 0800 689 1095 or email: [email protected]
  • Welcoming comments on social media: @CapitalCentric

This first stage of consultation closes on 14 August.

Feedback will be used to help shape the plans with a further stage of consultation after summer.

A planning application is likely to be submitted to the local council by the end of the year.

Famed for innovative design and ambitious regeneration projects, CAPITAL&CENTRIC has made its first foray into Stockport with Weir Mill – a key part of the Mayoral Development Corporation’s (MDC’s) big plan for the town centre.

The Weir Mill site will sit adjacent to a new £120m transport interchange, being backed by £7m of Housing Infrastructure Fund money from Homes England. 

Stockport Council Leader, Councillor Elise Wilson said: “It’s great to see the plans for Weir Mill moving forward and I’d encourage local people to get involved in the consultation.

“CAPITAL&CENTRIC are known for their focus on creating communities so this is an opportunity for local people to come together with the developer to create something really special.

“Weir Mill will really set the scene for our ambitious plans for Town Centre West and encourage more people to visit and live in the town centre. I look forward to seeing the plans as they develop.”

Lord Bob Kerslake, Chair of the MDC, said the development could “set a new standard for town centre living.”

“It’s vital that we set the bar high and create something that local people can engage with and be proud of,” he added.

“CAPITAL&CENTRIC’s track record of ambitious, high-quality development makes them the ideal developer for this historic site and it’s great to see developers continuing to back Stockport as we look to Build Back Better.”

Learn more about CAPITAL&CENTRIC by visiting their website.

Property

Much-maligned derelict Stockport site to be turned into town’s latest tower block

Danny Jones Danny Jones Stockport town centre's derelict Victoria House building being turned into new apartments tower block

A derelict site in the centre of Stockport is finally set to be bulldozed and turned into a brand new tower block worth a reported £70 million.

The regularly reviled Victoria House on Wellington Street, situated close to the large, grey Stopford House and opposite a local branch of Grosvenor Casinos, was built back in the 1960s – as its old metropolitan exterior makes evident – and has been tipped for redevelopment over the last decade.

Sitting on the corner of the Greek Street roundabout, it has remained mainly empty since 2019, with various developers looking to transform it into various residential reboots.

Now, nearly 10 years later, the building looks to be finally ready for the next chapter and a new lease of life, with property firm Progressive Living (PL) hoping to turn it into two main eight and 20-storey tower blocks, with tiered levels, different room capacities and rooftop spaces.

The land has been subject to plenty of urban exploration.

The former office building was once part of the nearby Jobcentre Plus branch, just down the road, not to mention one of several similar abandoned and underutilised spaces with untapped potential in the area.

Along with the demolition of the structure itself, the adjacent Fletcher Street car park that sits between Victoria House and the aforementioned casino will also make way for the apartments.

With the planning permission application submitted earlier this year and officially greenlit by Stockport Council on Thursday, 3 July,

Promising a mix of one, two and three-bed properties, the company are planning to build a total of 245 homes, though there has been some criticism regarding affordability – a significant increase on the initial idea to turn the 13,000 sq ft office unit into 21 flats some years ago.

The project will be brought to life using funds taken from the £5.7m grant set aside for the town by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

Speaking on the project, PL director David Fairclough said: “We’re delighted to have secured planning for what will be a flagship scheme for Stockport.”

“This approval represents a major milestone for a project that’s been six years in the making, and we’re proud to play our part in shaping the next chapter of the town centre’s transformation.

“With demolition due to start later this year, we’re looking forward to delivering much-needed new homes in a sustainable, future-focused way.”

A CGI of what the new residential tower block in Stockport town centre will look like. (Credit: PL)

Construction is slated to start next spring, and they’re hoping to complete the project by summer 2028.

Developers hope to start demolition works this year, with construction expected to start in spring 2026, and completion targeted for Summer 2028.

Local councillor Micheala Meikle, who serves as the town’s cabinet member for regeneration, said: “This is another important step in transforming Stockport as part of the UK’s biggest town centre regeneration.

“These high-quality new homes will bring more people into the heart of the town, supporting local businesses and making the most of our new transport links.

“With the Mayoral Development Corporation delivering 8,000 new homes and Metrolink on the horizon, we’re building a town that works for the future – somewhere people choose to live, work and put down roots.

“This is exactly the kind of accessible, sustainable scheme we want to see in the town centre — creating homes for all ages as part of a thriving, low-carbon community.”

Trams are officially coming to Stockport as part of £2.5bn investment package

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Featured Images — Razor Twisted Exploring (via YouTube)/Progressive Living (press shots)

Property

A preview of a promising philanthropic project as Embassy Village makes progress

Danny Jones Danny Jones Embassy homeless village Manchester tour preview progress

Embassy Village, the upcoming homeless village that is set to open in Manchester, is making quick progress, and we recently got to preview the project with an early tour of the site.

Located just outside the city centre proper in Castlefield and near the border into Salford, the humanitarian housing project is looking to provide not just shelter but food and drink, employment, education and all manner of support to local rough sleepers.

Starting out as a controversial shipping container concept, which would have seen repurposed bits of old freight cargo turned into ‘pods’, the idea has grown since then and now

In fact, they’re not far from being done, with the team currently predicting a November finish date. Here’s how it’s looking so far.

embassy village manchester
embassy village progress
Credit: The Manc Group

Situated along a slice of the Bridgewater Canal, running along the length of the recognisable railway arches – 22 of them, to be precise – Embassy Village is set to become the first privately-funded homeless community not just in the UK but anywhere in Europe.

As far as the group behind this inspiring bit of philanthropy can tell in researching for this development, they haven’t found anything like this anywhere on the continent, certainly not on this scale.

Starting out as a repurposed luxury tour bus turned mobile rough sleeping shelter, they have since gone on to run three male and two women’s shelters, helping more than 175 individuals get back on their feet, from being rehomed to getting back into work and, ultimately, living independently.

Created by co-founder and director Sid Williams back in 2018, who has already helped countless vulnerable adults in and around Greater Manchester, there is a lot of faith behind this initiative, quite literally, in fact.

Sid and his wife Tess, who has also been helping spearhead Embassy‘s work here in the UK, are passionate Christians, but there’s no dogmatic or preachy vibes to be detected – at least as far as we could tell, anyway.

homeless village castlefield mcr
The ‘Village Hall’, where work, education and general life skills will be developed.
homeless village greater manchester
Outdoor spaces are being carved out, including areas to relax, sports courts and more.
Suitable candidates in the shelter system will be selected in order to identify those who could manage resettlement. (Credit: The Manc)

Besides a nice ‘tithing’ idea, which sees 10% of all unrestricted funds from the village donated to relevant charities in the region and further afield, the only real Christian value being promoted here is ‘love thy neighbour’, and that’s the kind of ethos we can get behind regardless of creed.

You can see some of the old fashioned values in aspects such as the public hall seen above, where people will not only be encouraged to gather but learn, create, socialise and once again start to reintegrate into a proper community.

There’ll even be parts of the Embassy’s ‘resettlement team’ living on-site to help get people back on their feet, with at least one dedicated staff member assigned to every six residents.

As Sid put it in a spin on the well-trodden old proverb, ‘it takes a village to raise a child’, he believes that sometimes, “it takes a city to raise a village.”

Those staying here will not be given a leg up back into the working world, providing inroads to full-time contracts and a proper wage, but they will also be encouraged to take up wellbeing activities, taken on trips and away days beyond the city limits and Greater Manchester full stop.

An example of the on-site staff’s living quarters.
Each unit will have it own front door and all essential amenities.
They have an approximate 92% success rate when it comes to rehoming and reintegrating residents, with many ultimately coming back to work for the organisation. Think of it as a ‘pay it forward’ spirit,

With dozens of local businesses contributing to the construction of Embassy Village, they’ve now managed to raise more than £5.2 million in funding.

As well as backing from developers Capital & Centric (led by Salford-born Tim Heatley) and the likes of regeneration specialist Peel L&P, who made the land available, there are several other organisations chipping in to help house upwards of 40 different individuals.

That being said, they are still roughly £400,000 short of their desired target, which will help them build every aspect of Embassy Village they’re hoping to make come to fruition, so further partnerships are obviously welcome.

Following an official update from Manchester City Council, we can also now confirm that the space will link up to the soon-to-be expanded Castlefield Viaduct, where three of four currently out-of-use tram lines will be turned into one long sky garden, similar to New York’s famous High Line.

Following our tour of Embassy Village so far, there was one salient takeaway: there are a lot of people who really care about this cause working on this project.

Is it perfect? Maybe not? Would it be great if we could simply end Greater Manchester’s rough sleeping crisis by housing every rough sleeper in a traditional home, or one of the many new build properties in 0161? Of course it would, but we sadly all know it isn’t as simple as that.

Nevertheless, this current option is damn sight better than the alternative: allowing more and more people to end up on the streets, bouncing in and out of shelters, struggling with addiction, mental health and so on. They’re trying and they already have a proven track record spanning more than half a decade.

You can get a better idea of what it will look like when completed down below.

A look at Embassy Village as construction on Manchester’s homeless housing project begins
The preview tour did help us picture how these Embassy Village CGIs will be brought to life.

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Featured Images — The Manc Group

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