Stockport Character and Urban Density (SCUD) study

Bramhall District Centre

This webpage provides a summary of the Bramhall District Centre report.

Bramhall District Centre is lined with Victorian and Edwardian terraced buildings, featuring shops, restaurants, and other services on the ground floor. This creates a lively atmosphere.

The buildings are mostly red brick and black and white timber, with pitched roofs and chimneys adding variety.

The area has a historic feel with its consistent building lines, but this is broken up by modern buildings like the Bramhall Precinct and larger commercial buildings on the edges.

There are a number of positive characteristics in the area that should be retained and enhanced through the design of new development. These include the:

• distinctive Edwardian and Victorian terraces
• steeped roofscape
• easy to navigate, tight knit street pattern
• leafy green character
• ground floor active frontages

There are negative characteristics which should be improved through the design of new development. These include the:

• poorly defined gateways
• lack of public open space
• narrow pavements and low-quality surfaces

Consultation

A stakeholder consultation took place on 14 September 2023 at the Upper Rooms, Cheadle. The consultation focused on the existing positive characteristics and opportunities for change. The key findings from this event were that there’s:

• potential for mixed-use redevelopment of the shopping precinct
• support (from the attendees) for the redevelopment around the railway station; this will provide new homes and community services
• need to include affordable housing in new development
• need to promote and support local shops and improve the high street to increase footfall

Potential for change

There are few homes within Bramhall District Centre. This is mostly due to the presence of single-use buildings within the centre, containing non-residential uses such as offices, shops, restaurants and cafés. Only a small number of the buildings located in the district centre contain residential houses. Some apartment buildings are located to the north of the boundary on Bramhall Lane South.

Generally, building heights in Bramhall are low-rise. They are typically up to 3 storeys in height. However, there are buildings of up to 4 storeys in some location. Given this, the study identifies the potential to:

• increase density and height up to 4 storeys at the railway station
• increase height up to 5 storeys at the precinct site
• increase height up to 4 storeys at key corner sites

The study provides further character analysis of select sites within the area. These sites have been identified as having the potential for positive change and wider public benefits in Bramhall. These sites have been chosen because of their:

• location
• size
• sensitivity
• capacity to incorporate development of increased scale and density

The study illustrates what could potentially be achieved on these types of sites and within their wider area. Planning permission is still required for all sites included. This study does not permit or propose specific development.

By analysing these areas from a design perspective, the study estimates the amount of homes that these sites could hold. This is between 90 to 160 dph (dwellings per hectare).

Along the high street, the most appropriate building height is around 3 to 5 stories while still fitting within the look and feel of the area. The study recommends that apartments are the most suitable housing type for these areas.

Priorities for change

Through analysing the area, and consulting key stakeholders, the study identifies 4 placemaking priorities. Placemaking is the process used to shape public spaces and buildings, to create places where people want to live, work and visit. It should be rooted in a strong understanding of the character of the area and involvement from the local community.

The placemaking priorities should guide future development in the area. These are:

• a new community central point and public space
• more efficient car parking in the district centre into more appropriate locations
• improving the pedestrian environment in the high street
• making the most out of the land around the railway station

Future development which increases scale and density in Bramhall District Centre must be designed sensitively and holistically. It should respond to the existing townscape within and around the district centre.

As such, the study recommends design guidance to take into consideration through the design of new development. This includes:

• enhancing the existing positive characteristics of Bramhall identified in the character appraisal set out within the report
• delivering high-quality, contemporary development that fits with the distinctive architectural features within the area
• contributing to the varied, stepped roofscape along the high street
• enhancing the pedestrian environment along the high street
• creating new public space that is supported by mixed uses and overlooked by new homes
• providing mobility hubs that accommodate car parking, bike storage and top floor amenity uses

Overall, the study concludes that there's opportunity to deliver sustainable living within Bramhall District Centre. New residential development should respond to local housing needs. The study shows that this can be achieved through sensitively increasing building heights and densities.