Weir Mill, a major new neighbourhood in Stockport, has reached a milestone this week, with its towering 14-storey apartment block reaching its full height.
The £60m transformation of the area beneath the viaduct in the town centre is being taken on by social impact developers Capital & Centric, who plan build 253 design-led apartments, as well as green outdoor space, independent bars, restaurants and shops.
Capital & Centric are already receiving interest from indie operators for the commercial spaces, ahead of kick-starting their hunt in the new year.
Weir Mill will bring life back to historic mill buildings that date all the way back to the 1700s.
It will form a major destination in Stockport’s Town Centre West masterplan, a 130-acre regeneration district which will include 4,000 new homes, local amenities, green spaces, workspace, and transport improvements.
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To celebrate Weir Mill reaching its full height, members of Stockport Council and the Stockport Mayoral Development Corporation, along with local young people from the not-for-profit Regeneration Brainery bootcamp, were invited for a tour of the site.
Views from the top of the tallest apartment block look all the way across Stockport and beyond to the Peak District, with the towers of Manchester city centre visible too.
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The view from Weir Mill. Credit: The Manc GroupWeir Mill in Stockport. Credit: Capital & CentricWeir Mill nowWeir Mill now
The development is being built right on the banks of the River Mersey and beside the city’s iconic red-brick viaduct, a stone’s-throw from the train station.
Stockport has in recent years been named as one of the best places to buy your first home, as well as getting a name-check in the Sunday Times’ coveted Best Places To Live annual round-up.
Adam Higgins, from Capital&Centric, said: “Weir Mill is such a historic site but it was in need of some major TLC. Since day one, our mission has been to restore and repurpose the stunning heritage buildings and create a destination neighbourhood that furthers Stockport’s standing as one of the best places to live and spend time. Not only are we well underway with delivering more design-led homes at a key brownfield site, we’re also on with creating outdoor hangouts and food and drink spaces that will all be open to the public and help draw a crowd into the town centre.
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“Reaching the highest point is a massive moment and a visible sign of the change that’s happening here. It’s a privilege to give a glimpse of what’s happening on site given much of it has been shrouded in scaffolding for months. It really is a testament to the level of collaboration underway with the Council and MDC – with a shared desire to see Stockport create an identity it can be proud of for years to come.”
Weir Mill in Stockport. Credit: Capital & Centric
More than 150 people are now working to deliver the project, with significant focus on preserving and celebrating the original features of the historic Grade II listed landmark.
Cllr Mark Hunter, from Stockport Council, said: “This is a huge achievement and testament to the drive and ambition of everyone involved to bring this historic building back to life and greatly improve this area of the town centre, providing much needed, good quality homes.
“The pace at which change is happening across the town centre is quite staggering, with work at the nearby Transport Interchange and new urban park due for completion next year, it’s a really exciting time for Stockport.”
Eamonn Boylan, Interim Chair of Stockport MDC, said: “The structural completion of the new residential blocks for the Weir Mill development puts us another step closer to delivering the 4,000 new homes that our regeneration masterplan will achieve.
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Weir Mill in Stockport. Credit: Capital & Centric
“The latest chapter in our town centre’s £1billion transformation, Weir Mill is setting a new benchmark for brownfield regeneration. One that celebrates and reinvigorates the town’s industrial infrastructure and heritage for a new age, in turn delivering essential new homes, creating a new cultural and leisure district and enhancing connectivity in the town centre.
“As we look ahead to 2024, which will see the completion of a major new transport hub alongside amenities and new public realm, Stockport is undoubtedly on track to becoming one of the best connected and most liveable towns in the UK.”
The topping out ceremony at Weir Mill. Credit: Capital & CentricThe topping out ceremony at Weir Mill.
Once complete the £60m Weir Mill project will feature:
Chestergate and King Street West: A new gateway into the town centre, with ground floor spaces for independent shops, cafes or delis and plenty of lush greenery.
Water Front: A new public space looking out across the River Mersey, providing a place for riverside chilling in the evening sun.
Weir Mill East: Sensitively designed new buildings featuring a mix of homes, drawing inspiration from the site’s manufacturing history.
Weavers Square: What will become the heart of the scheme and a new destination for Stockport. The old cast iron columns of Weavers Shed are being retained to create a vibrant new outdoor space for riverside street markets, DJ sets, live music events and performing arts.
West Shed: A striking indoor space with exposed brick vaulted arches and cast-iron columns, creating a relaxed space to take your laptop, grab a coffee and while away the day.
West Courtyard: The former working courtyard to the mills, this will be a quieter, more contemplative garden space for residents and the general public to chill out, with plants, trees and secluded spaces to explore, as well as amenities for residents including rooftop terrace, BBQs and private dining spaces.
Developers share new look at Stockport’s newest indie neighbourhood at Weir Mill
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester has been given another peek at the new neighbourhood and hangout spot in Stockport, Weir Mill.
Situated on the banks of the River Mersey, which runs through the heart of the old Cheshire town, Stopfordians will be more than familiar with the old building, which sits in the shadow of the Hat Works Museum tower.
The familiar North Western red brick is set to remain a noticeable structure below the recognisable Victorian Viaduct, but beneath it is set to become the home of at least new independent businesses.
Now, developers Capital and Centric have shared further glimpses at what they’re hoping the mini-district will look like when finished…
We visited the site back in 2023 not long after work begun.They have big plans to make it a suburban destination.Credit: The Manc Group/Capital and Centric
As you can see, besides the new homes and other buildings popping up in and around SK, this particular development (which will hopefully replicate the success of similar canalside regenerations such as those in Manchester city centre’s New Islington Marina) spans a whopping 65,000 sq ft.
Revolving around a new village epicentre, of sorts – simply known as Weaver Square – will see an influx of at least 10 new bars, restaurants, cafés and more indie traders spilling out of Weir Mill’s soon-to-be transformed ground floor onto what they hope will be a bustling new terrace.
Come the summer, this could be a great suntrap spot, too.
Aiming to bring these varied, open, social spaces to life with both local businesses and residents in mind, they’re promising live music, street food pop-ups, parties and al fresco eats under the iconic arches.
Pictured below, the space will not only include the aforementioned riverside terrace but a central courtyard with a lush, green, plant-laden sunken courtyard in the middle, plus plenty of other nooks teeming with character.
After being greenlit by Stockport Council, the project itself has actually been moving forward since 2022, but it now appears like it’s starting to take real shape.
Credit: Supplied
Cllr Micheala Meikle, Stockport‘s cabinet member for economy, skills and regeneration, states: “Our UK-leading town centre regeneration is about more than building new homes, it’s about creating vibrant neighbourhoods and breathing new life into Stockport’s heritage, giving our historic buildings a future.”
“While the Grade-II listed former mill is being carefully restored for residents, the new public square will create opportunities for independent businesses to thrive and for people from across the borough to come and enjoy our buzzing town centre.
“It is incredibly exciting to see how our riverside will soon be opened up into an inviting outdoor space where local communities can come together over great food, live music, and creative events from day into night.”
Better still, with Stockport’s growing transport links as part of the Bee Network only set to be extended further in the coming years, Weir Mill will be a simple train/tram ride away soon enough.
Greater Manchester town named one of Britain’s ‘happiest’ places to live in 2026
Emily Sergeant
The top 10 happiest places to live in Great Britain for 2026 have been named, and the north is well represented.
Just as it has done for the last 13 years now, Rightmove has published its annual ‘Happy at Home’ index, which explores exactly what it is that makes people feel content about where they live, and highlights the happiest places nationwide ahead of the new year.
This year, thousands of residents across more than 200 locations told the leading property listing platform what they love (or don’t love) about their community – from the friendliness of their neighbours, to job opportunities, access to green spaces, and so much more.
The survey also outlines the differences in happiness in rural, urban, and suburban environments, as well as the way our sense of ‘home happiness’ changes as we age.
And among the top 10 happiest places to live, Rightmove has selected five northern towns for the list, including two here in the North West – and, crucially, one in Greater Manchester.
Altrincham was named the sixth happiest place to live in Britain.
Altrincham has been named one of Britain’s happiest places to live / Credit: The Manc Group
The Trafford town often gets its name thrown around in conversations like this, and with the variety of homes available, plenty of good local schools, great access to green space, and an ever-expanding retail environment and dining scene in the town centre – including the popular Altrincham Market, and the Stamford Quarter – it’s really not hard to see why.
Rightmove said that the average house price in Altrincham in 2025 was £643,244 and the average rental price (per calendar month) was £2,698, which does put the town up there with most most expensive in our region, it has to be said.
Elsewhere on the top 10 list, it was the popular Yorkshire town of Skipton that took the crown as Britain’s happiest place to live.
Macclesfield in Cheshire was the other North West inclusion at number seven, and then the other northern towns ranked in the top 10 are Harrogate at four and Hexham, in Northumberland, at number 10.
When it comes to the wider rankings, and the North West ranking as a whole, no other Greater Manchester town made it into the region’s top five, however Stockport did find itself in the North West’s top 10 in the sixth spot.
A sense of belonging and wellbeing, and how the environment shapes daily life were highlighted as major influencing factors on the top 10.
But Rightmove did admit that this year’s survey showed there are many different layers that combine to influence what is or isn’t a happy and fulfilling lifestyle.
“Interestingly, this year’s survey shows that our happiness with where we live often grows with age,” Rightmove said of this year’s Index.
“Residents aged 18-24 were the least likely to say they felt happy where they live. Happiness then increases through the age brackets, with those aged 65 and over being the most likely to feel happy with where they live.”
Featured Image – Roger Kidd (via Wikimedia Commons)
Daisy Jackson -
29th November 2023 
