Property

Stockport’s landmark £60m Weir Mill neighbourhood beneath viaduct hits major milestone

The view from the top of its apartment block is quite something.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 29th November 2023

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.

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.

The view from Weir Mill. Credit: The Manc Group
The view from Weir Mill. Credit: The Manc Group
Weir Mill in Stockport. Credit: Capital & Centric
Weir Mill in Stockport. Credit: Capital & Centric
Weir Mill now
Weir Mill now
Weir Mill now
Weir 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. 

“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
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. 

Weir Mill in Stockport. Credit: Capital & Centric
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.
The topping out ceremony at Weir Mill. Credit: Capital & Centric
The topping out ceremony at Weir Mill.
The 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.

Read more

Featured image: Capital & Centric

Property

Authorities prepare to ‘turn the tide’ on Greater Manchester’s housing crisis

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant New build houses

Greater Manchester is preparing to ‘turn the tide’ on its housing crisis by building new homes and protecting renters.

Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) has set out its comprehensive plan to connect communities to new jobs and opportunities, drive up standards across the rental sector, and build new homes – with the latter helping to fulfil its Housing First ambition give everyone access to a ‘safe, secure, and affordable’ home by 2038.  

This week has already seen a ‘renewed focus’ on driving up housing standards thanks to the naming of the first supporters of Greater Manchester’s bold new Good Landlord Charter.

New analysis also shows that GMCA’s Brownfield Housing Fund, which was set up in 2020, has already provided grants to deliver more than 15,000 homes, with an average of just over 45% being affordable housing.

But, there’s still a long way to go.

GMCA says those recent successes will not stand alone, but rather support plans to deliver more social housing than is lost across the region. 

Unlocking brownfield land is what authorities claim is the key to turning the tide on the housing crisis, as since its inception in 2020, as mentioned, Greater Manchester has invested a whopping £135.4 million from the Brownfield Housing Fund to redevelop underused brownfield land, which ultimately delivered thousands of new homes.

It’s anticipated that further funding allocations will come in the summer to supplement those already approved and in the works.

GMCA is also using the power of Mayoral Development Corporations (MDC) – which are statutory bodies set up by the Mayor Andy Burnham, designed to speed up development and attract investment within a specific area – to unlock regeneration opportunities, as these ‘pioneering’ tools bring together local partners and drive forward the authority’s ambitions to build new homes, bring jobs and investment, and support economic growth.  

Houses
Authorities are preparing to ‘turn the tide’ on Greater Manchester’s housing crisis / Credit: Benjamin Elliott (via Unsplash)

Some of these MDCs currently include Old Trafford (part of the proposed Western Gateway Mayoral Development Zone), the expanded Stockport MDC, and the Northern Gateway MDC (part of Atom Valley).

Together, these three alone are expected to deliver 27,250 homes over the next 15 years to help address the housing crisis. 

“If we are serious about securing the long-term success of Greater Manchester, we need to free ourselves from the grip of the housing crisis,” commented Mayor Andy Burnham.

“Because of the decisions we’ve taken, Greater Manchester is now building more affordable homes than at any point since the turn of the millennium. We need to keep building on that momentum until we reach a tipping point where we build more social homes than we lose.

Read more:

“We’re determined to ensure that every person in Greater Manchester has access to the safe and secure home they need in order to thrive.” 

Featured Image – James Feaver (via Unsplash)

Property

Petition launched to rebuild Hotspur Press in its ‘original form’ following devastating fire

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Hotspur Press aftermath

A petition has been launched to rebuild the Hotspur Press building in its ‘original form’ following the devastating fire last week.

In case you missed it, one of Manchester’s most historic landmarks has been left a shell of its former self after a huge fire erupted at the now-derelict Hotspur Press, which is on Cambridge Street beside Oxford Road train station, last Monday (23 June), destroying the iconic building that stood standing for more than 200 years.

It was subsequently declared a ‘major incident’ by authorities.

Thick black smoke clouds could be seen for miles over the city centre from around 4:30pm onwards and into the evening, as fire crews worked to extinguish the blaze.

Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) confirmed that a total of 20 fire engines from across Greater Manchester were at the scene tackling the blaze – which it said had spread to three floors of the building.

At the height of the blaze, two aerial units and more than 100 firefighters were working at the scene in warm and humid conditions.

But for the past couple of years now, before the building went up in flames, Hotspur Press was at the centre of redevelopment controversy, where planning permission was being sought to transform the building into high-rise student accommodation – and it’s these proposals that prompted the petition calling for an authentic rebuild to be set up.

That and the fact that it was announced towards the end of last week that Hotspur Press was to be part-demolished.

Hotspur Press aftermath
A petition has been launched to rebuild Hotspur Press in its ‘original form’ following the devastating fire / Credit: The Manc Group | Jonathan Boswell (Submitted)

Already racking up more than 400 signatures and counting, the petition calls for the historic building to be restored ‘faithfully and fully’.

“The recent fire has robbed Manchester of one of its most iconic and historic buildings, a cornerstone of the city’s skyline and industrial heritage,” the petition reads. “Hotspur Press was not just bricks and mortar, it was a living reminder of the city’s printing legacy, a symbol of Manchester’s character and soul.

“What we don’t need is another anonymous block of luxury flats that serve investors over residents.

“We are tired of seeing our history erased for profit. We demand that what is rebuilt reflects the identity, memory, and voice of the people who actually live here.”

Read more:

The petition concluded: “Buildings like Hotspur Press carry the stories of the people who built this city – and they deserve more than neglect, fire, or demolition. Let this be the turning point. Rebuild Hotspur Press, and set a precedent for putting people, history, and place before profit.”

If you’re in support, you can find out more and sign the petition here.

Featured Image – Jonathan Boswell (Submitted)

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