Stockport Character and Urban Density (SCUD) study

Town Centre

This webpage provides a summary of the Stockport Town Centre report.

The character of Stockport Town Centre is varied. As a historic town centre, it has evolved over time, and contains both older and newer developments.

A key feature of the town centre is the river valley which has created a sloping town centre. Development has responded to this topography, which created layers throughout the townscape.

The study highlights that there are 13 different character areas within the town centre. Each of these areas have key defining features that contribute to their distinctive character. These character areas are explored further through the Stockport Town Centre Residential Design Guide.

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

• industrial heritage and character
• the valley topography
• stepping roofscape and layering
• a distinctive stepping skyline
• A range of views across the skyline and along streets
• historic north-south streets

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

• a lack of character and underused areas on the outskirts of the town centre
• poorly defined gateway areas
• the town centre facing away from the rivers
• streets that cater mostly to vehicles
• low quality modern development

Consultation

A stakeholder consultation took place on 12 September 2023 at Edgeley Park. The consultation focused on the existing positive characteristics and opportunities for change. The key findings from this event were that:

• tall buildings are already part of the town centre character. If new tall buildings are developed, they should be located near to existing tall building clusters
• Stockport must keep its unique character and not be the same as Manchester
• new residential development should include a broad range of housing types
• key views of landmarks such as Stockport Viaduct and St Mary’s church must not be obscured by new development

Existing Densities and taller buildings

In more recent years, the number of homes in the town centre has gradually increased. However, the town centre remains dominated by non-residential uses across its boundary. The type of residential development varies and includes a range of:

• low-rise, low-density housing estates (1 to 3 storeys)
• office-to-residential conversions
• mid-rise apartments (3 to 5 storeys)
• residential conversions of historic buildings
• upper-storey residential conversions of historic terraces in the historic core, along Hillgate and Wellington Road South
• Building heights fluctuate across the town centre. However, the study identifies general patterns in the location of tall buildings. The visibility and prominence of tall buildings are directly influenced by the valley topography of the town centre

Emerging developments

Stockport Town Centre is going through a £1 billion programme investment. Given this, the residential density of emerging schemes is generally higher than schemes delivered in the early 2000s. This highlights a step change in the scale and type of development coming forward in this area.

The study undertakes a visual analysis of the town centre, looking at both schemes that are under construction, and those that have been given permission. This outlines that tall buildings are generally located in the following areas of the town centre:

• in close proximity to existing tall building clusters at the bottom of the river valley
• at high points, creating markers in the skyline and additions to the skyline
• along the ‘spine’ of taller builders between Wellington Road South and Hillgate
• at town centre gateways and along primary movement corridors through the town centre

Town Centre West

The development of the western area of the town centre is a strategic priority for the council. In 2019, the Stockport Mayoral Development Corporation was created to bring forward the regeneration of Town Centre West.

Significant work has already been undertaken in this area to understand its development potential. This includes the production of the Town Centre West Strategic Regeneration Framework. This sets out the vision and ambition for this area of the town centre.

Given this, the Town Centre West area has not been included within the scope of this study.

Zonal Approach

Informed by the analysis of the town centre presented throughout the report, the study identifies 4 zones of the town centre. In these zones, the study sets out that there is potential capacity to incorporate residential development of increased scale and density.

The approach is supported by detailed spatial and visual sensitivity analysis of the town centre. This provides a robust technical evidence base to inform policy recommendations and guidelines for building heights. The analysis makes sure increased scale and density can be delivered in the town centre without having a negative impact on sensitive areas of townscape and heritage.

The 4 identified zones are as follows:

• zone 1: Great Portwood Street
• zone 2: New Bridge Lane
• zone 3: North-south spine
• zone 4: Southern gateway

For each of these zones, the study provides the following information and analysis:

• townscape considerations
• placemaking principles
• design guidance

This is not to say proposals for taller buildings cannot come forward outside of each zone. Any proposal for a taller building within the town centre is subject to all relevant material considerations and must provide a well evidenced justification for an increase in height above surrounding building heights.

Summary

The study has found that a tall building in the town centre is considered to be between 11 to 15 storeys. A high-rise building is considered to be 16 or more storeys.

In line with emerging local plan policies, proposals within the town centre should deliver a minimum density of 120 dph. However, the study sets out that sites located within the town centre boundary will be expected to deliver much higher residential densities.