Stockport Town Centre Residential Design Guide

Stockport Town Centre continues to go through a period of change and growth. At the heart of this transformation are ambitious plans to increase and enhance the town centre residential offer.

To make sure high-quality and sustainable residential growth takes place, we must clearly outline our design expectations. The Stockport Town Centre Residential Design Guide sets out the council’s design expectations for this area of the borough.

Consultation and research

A public consultation on the draft design guide was held between May and July 2024. The final version of the design guide takes into account the feedback shared as part of this process.

The results of the consultation are summarised in the Consultation Report (PDF 529Kb).

The guide was also informed by:

Download the approved guide

The final Town Centre Residential Design Guide and appendix were approved in November 2024. You can download copies below:

Stockport Town Centre Residential Design Guide

PDF, 22.49 MB

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.


Stockport Town Centre Residential Design Guide Appendix

PDF, 5.5 MB

This file may not be suitable for users of assistive technology.

How the guide should be used

The design guide is intended to be used by developers, designers and decision-makers to help guide future residential developments in the town centre.

The design guide includes 3 key chapters that are relevant to this process:

Key components to successful town centre living

General design guidance to be applied to all future residential proposals.

New residential development must consider the key components.

The Stockport assets

Important features that make up the unique character of Stockport Town Centre, which should be protected and enhanced. This includes (but is not limited to):

  • iconic landmarks
  • a rich industrial heritage
  • landscape assets

New residential development must consider the assets relevant to the site or proposal.

Character area guidance

The guide acknowledges that the townscape character of the town centre varies. As such, the guide splits the town centre into 12 distinct character areas and provides specific guidance for each of these areas.

New residential development must consider the guidance for the character area relevant to the site.