Final approval granted for over 500 apartments on former town centre Sainsbury’s site

Stockport Council’s Planning & Highways Regulation Committee has unanimously granted planning approval for over 500 apartments to be built on the former Sainsbury’s site in the town centre.

Plans for the development of 563 new homes were first submitted to the council in December 2021, following the purchase of the 3.28 acre plot by Hale-based build-to-rent specialists, Amstone, earlier that year. The town centre supermarket had closed in February 2021 after 35 years trading, and was the borough’s largest retailer when the store first opened.

Developers, Amstone Ventures, will build 563 new homes, a mix of one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments as well as 34 three-bedroom townhouses on the site in the £100 million scheme.

Properties will be split across three apartment blocks, as well opening up the riverside for pedestrian access along the route of the Goyt (pictured), and creating a new public square within the Knightsbridge development.

The existing supermarket building will be demolished to make way for the scheme, underground parking facilities at the store will be repurposed to provide parking for residents via a new access round to link the site with major routes and avoid increasing traffic through Stockport town centre itself. 

The scheme will complement further housing being brought forward to the West of the town centre by Stockport’s Mayoral Development Corporation as part of the council’s £1 billion regeneration programme, such as at Stockport 8.

Plans were previously put before Stockport Council’s Central Area Committee for approval on 20th October, and following approval by the borough’s Planning & Highways Regulation Committee, work can now begin on delivering the 563 new homes.

Amstone are supported on the development by, architects Leach Rhodes Walker, landscape architects Layer.Studio, structural engineers RoC Consulting, planning consultants from Deloitte and cost consultant Cumming Group.