Stockport Independent Issue 197

FREE YOUR LOCAL GOOD NEWS-PAPER FREE STOCKPORT www.independentnewspapers.co.uk ISSUE 197 OFFERTON • THE HEATONS • EDGELEY • DENTON BREDBURY • CHEADLE HEATH • HAZEL GROVE • CHEADLE HULME • HEAVILEY • MARPLE • REDDISH • ROMILEY • WOODLEY • HIGH LANE Looking for Flooring Inspiration? Let us help you find the perfect flooring for your home. With great advice, home styling, measure and planning service, plus quality fitting of top brands and designs, youwill be glad you did . Visit our showroom: Tuesday to Saturday or call 01260 224445 for a private appointment Thornycroft Farm, Pexhill Road, Siddington, Cheshire SK11 9JN l Modern, Traditional & Luxury Carpets l Natural Wood Flooring l Laminate Flooring l Stair Runners & Rods l Luxury Vinyl Tiles l Bespoke Rugs & Runners TOWN centre regeneration projects in Stockport are set to accelerate thanks to new landmark funding. The town is to receive £56million – one of the larg- est allocations from the first wave of the new £1billion Greater Manchester Good Growth Fund. The cash boost was revealed by Greater Man- chester mayor Andy Burn- ham and Stockport council leader Mark Roberts at an event held in Stockroom – the town’s newly opened cultural and creative space. A total of £56.3m will be allocated to Stockport redevelopment projects as part of the initial £400m investment. The aim of the cash is to unlock development that will deliver hundreds of new homes and create vibrant, well-con- nected and sustainable neigh- bourhoods in the town centre. It includes £41.3m to accel- erate the delivery of Stockport 8 – a new walkable and sus- tainable neighbourhood in the town centre with 1,300 ener- gy-efficient homes. Develop- ers are looking to deliver 435 homes in the first phase. Another £15m will go towards supporting the devel- opment of 245 new homes on a derelict office block and car park on Fletcher Street. The investment builds on the success of the Stockport Mayoral Development Cor- poration (MDC), which has already driven regeneration across the west of the town centre with projects includ- ing the multi-award-winning Stockport Interchange and Weir Mill. The MDC has so far attracted £600m in private investment and delivered 1,200 new homes, alongside 170,000 sq ft of Grade A office space. Pending Parliamentary approval, plans are in place HITTING THE ACCELERATOR £56m will turbocharge town’s regeneration Growth plans: Stockport town centre (Photo credit: Stockport Council) to triple the MDC boundary eastwards to incorporate the entire town centre, paving the way for an additional 4,000 homes, a new school and health hub, a riverside park and improved transport links. Andy Burnham said: Greater Manchester is the UK’s economic success story of the past decade. Powered by devolution, our journey of growth has transformed our city region and is opening up opportunities that people could not have imagined 30 years ago. l Continued page two