Next phase at Stockport Exchange gets the green light

National regenerator of town and city centres, Muse Developments, working in partnership with Stockport Council has received consent from council planners to bring forward the latest phase at Stockport Exchange – one of the Greater Manchester’s most connected and accessible business hubs.

Following the scheme’s approval, partners aim to get on site early in the new year, with a contractor to be announced in due course.

Both the Council and Muse secured £4.2m of funding from the government’s Getting Building Fund through Greater Manchester Combined Authority, to unlock the site and accelerate phase four of the masterplan, which once complete will include a c64,000 sq ft high-quality office building, along with an innovative c400-space multi-storey car park for office occupiers, featuring electric vehicle charging points and a green ‘living’ wall. This latest phase will build on the success of previous phases and will incorporate additional public realm improvements to benefit both the town centre and the community.

The wider £145m Stockport Exchange transformation, being delivered collaboratively by Stockport Council and Muse, sits as part of the Council’s visionary Mayoral Development Corporation and centrally to its £1bn town centre regeneration programme.

Three phases of development have been successfully delivered at Stockport Exchange, bringing forward a 115-bedroom Holiday Inn Express, a 1,000-space NCP multi-storey car park, two stunning office buildings totalling 120,000 sq ft with ground-floor retail, sat within extensive public realm. The scheme has attracted international and national occupiers such as BASF and MusicMagpie, who both have their UK HQs within the scheme.

Tom Webber, senior development surveyor at Muse, said: “It’s a fantastic achievement from everyone involved with Stockport Exchange as we reach the next milestone and get closer to starting on site.

“The country’s economic recovery will come from our towns and cities and with people looking to return to the office, it’s clear that there’s still a strong demand to bring forward high-quality office space and infrastructure, but it must promote wellbeing, sustainability and active travel to be fit for the office of the future. Stockport Exchange ticks all those boxes and existing occupier feedback has been really positive on how the scheme fully serves the needs of their teams”

“Together with our partners at Stockport Council, we’re investing in and repurposing the town centre, transforming it into one of the most connected and vibrant destinations, which is acting as a catalyst for further place-changing regeneration through the Mayoral Development Corporation.”

Cllr Elise Wilson, leader of Stockport Council, said: “Stockport Exchange was a game changer for the town – it re-set people’s perception of Stockport and succeeded in attracting top level businesses and creating jobs.

“This latest phase will continue to build on that success investing not just in new buildings but in public spaces which we can all enjoy.

“It is another example of the Council working in partnership with private business to unlock significant Government funding and push projects forward. With improvements to the Merseyway Shopping Centre, plans for a new transport interchange, the arrival of Metrolink the centre of Stockport is being transformed for the benefit of the whole borough and beyond.”

Once complete, the wider Stockport Exchange development will have delivered up to 375,000 sq ft of office space and 28,000 sq ft of commercial floor space.

Cushman & Wakefield and CBRE are acting as joint agents for the scheme.