Interchange picks up two prestigious royal planning titles

Stockport’s state-of-the-art transport interchange and rooftop Viaduct Park has scooped yet more industry awards, this time being honoured by the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI).

The £1 billion regeneration centrepiece, opened in March, won the much coveted Silver Jubilee Cup for best planning scheme of the year and also triumphed in the highly competitive ‘Excellence in Planning for a Successful Economy’ category, beating seven other contenders from across the country.

The RTPI Awards, now in their 47th year, celebrate outstanding contributions to the planning profession, showcasing projects that drive sustainable economic success and enrich communities worldwide.

The transport hub has redefined the town’s connectivity and contains the two-acre Viaduct Park, walking and cycling links to the railway station and the town centre, a helix ramp, and is the first phase of the transformational regeneration of Stockport Town Centre West.

The ceremony took place in London on Tuesday, November 26.

Cllr Mark Hunter, Leader of Stockport Council, said: “This national recognition, in what is the Oscars of the Planning world, really shines a light on the incredible effort and vision behind the Interchange and Viaduct Park. It’s a well-deserved tribute to the team’s hard work and the positive impact it’s having in making Stockport more connected and accessible for everyone as part of our £1 billion town centre transformation.”

Stockport Interchange was up against seven other nominees in the national ‘Excellence in Planning for a Successful Economy’ category after winning the same category in the regional awards in June.

This section recognised projects that drive economic success and promote a sustainable and thriving future for our communities and Stockport Interchange came out as the judge’s winner.

Judging the Interchange’s entry, the award panel said: “Stockport Interchange ticked all the planning boxes and demonstrated how planning was a tool for delivery and how planners brought the project into being. They acknowledged the risk of heritage harm and engaged early on with Historic England and the heritage officer to minimise harm, a testament to the project's commitment to heritage preservation. The presidential team was particularly impressed with the early engagement with local communities and the collaborative working between public and private sector planners.”

Cllr Grace Baynham, Cabinet Member for Parks, Highways and Transport Services, said: “In just a short time, the Interchange has made a huge difference to how our residents get around—whether they’re walking, cycling, or catching the bus.

“It’s also ready and waiting for Metrolink. There’s still work to be done to make that a reality, but Stockport is set up and prepared. Now, we’re just waiting for the green light to get things moving.”

And in October, the Interchange won the Design, Engineering and Construction Project of the Year category at the National Transport Awards.

Chris Barnes, Network Director for Infrastructure at TfGM, said: “These latest prestigious awards clearly recognise the role Stockport Interchange is playing in the Bee Network’s mission to open up opportunity and drive economic growth across Stockport and the whole of Greater Manchester.

“The Interchange seamlessly connects buses to trains and provides walking and cycling links so people are connected to opportunities in a sustainable way. By combining this with the new town centre park and apartments we are showing how schemes like this can really drive investment and growth for the good of our communities.

“From January, all buses in Greater Manchester, including those in Stockport, will have joined the Bee Network as we continue to build a joined up network that works for everyone and makes accessing opportunities for people even easier as we look to continue to drive economic growth.”

Anthony Dillon, managing director for Willmott Dixon in the north said: “We’re delighted to have played our part alongside Stockport Council and Transport for Greater Manchester in delivering a key milestone on Stockport’s £1bn town centre regeneration journey and we’re thrilled for all of our partners and supply chain to see the transformational Stockport Interchange recognised.

“Stockport Interchange has been built with the Stockport community at the heart of the project and we’re proud that alongside Stockport Council and TfGM, we’ve created 175 new jobs, delivered over 850 apprenticeship and training weeks and provided 103 work placements.”

In further good news for the development, the Interchange’s residential complex has been shortlisted in the “Built to Rent” category, in the North West Insider Residential Awards, which take place in January next year.

Earlier in the year, the residential complex at the site also won ‘Community Impact of the Year’ at the Cowgills North West Homebuilders Awards as well as winning the ‘Best Funding Structure’ at The International Partnership Awards earlier this year. In recent weeks the team has also secured the “BTR Partnership Award” at the Build to Rent Awards in London.