Stockport is celebrating a major construction milestone as the new Marple Community Hub has reached its topping out, marking the final placement of the building’s structure.
It’s a significant step towards opening in autumn 2026, with the new development already transforming the skyline of the Marple Memorial Park. The project is rapidly coming together with the roof now fully installed, the swimming pool visible, and the community café area beginning to take shape.
The £20 million hub will bring together a modern library, a five-lane swimming pool, a 60-station fitness suite, a community café, and a brand-new home for Marple Clinic.
Funded in part by the Government and Sport England, the £20 million hub will bring together a modern library, a five-lane swimming pool, a 60-station fitness suite, a community café, and a brand-new home for Marple Clinic. The new Community Hub replaces the former Marple swimming pool, which closed in 2018 for safety reasons, and is the result of extensive public consultation that shaped a facility designed around the needs of local residents.
Cllr Mark Roberts, Leader of Stockport Council
“Reaching the topping out stage is a proud moment for everyone involved with the Marple Community Hub. It represents months of hard work and collaboration from teams across the project.
“You can already see this building taking on the character and purpose the community asked for, which has echoes of what we did in Stockport town centre with Stockroom, which has been and continues to be a huge success. This is a space shaped by the community, for the community, right here in the heart of Marple and is part of our wider vision to secure investment for similar opportunities for all areas of our borough.”
Cllr Micheala Meikle, Cabinet Member for Economy, Regeneration and Skills at Stockport Council
“We’re now in the year where the Marple Community Hub opens, and excitement is really building. This is a proud moment ahead of the hub opening later this year. Families will soon be splashing in the pool, residents reading in the library, and neighbours meeting over coffee, all under one roof. This is a major investment in happier, healthier lives and a landmark example of the high-quality regeneration happening across our borough.”
Mike Walmsley, Director Designate for Willmott Dixon in the North said: "Topping Out is a great opportunity for Stockport Council, our team of community and leisure sector specialists and dedicated supply chain partners to reflect on the work we’ve done to date and to look ahead with excitement at what's to come during the next phase of the build.
"Local people have been at the heart of this project. To date, we have created 11 new employment opportunities for local people including those from barriered backgrounds and have spent 595 hours supporting local unemployed people into work alongside delivering over 200 hours of impactful school and college engagement.”
Further updates will be posted on our Marple Hub newspage.