Official designation for expanded regeneration area for Stockport town centre

Stockport’s regeneration ambitions have taken another step forward after Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham, officially designated the boundaries for a larger Mayoral Development Area in the town centre.

During May and June 2025, a public consultation took place on proposals to more-than-double the area of the current Mayoral Development Corporation’s (MDC) remit to cover both the existing Town Centre West regeneration area and land east of the A6 as far as St Mary’s Way, as shown in the map below.

Proposals were approved unanimously by Greater Manchester Combined Authority on 26th September. Mayor Andy Burnham will now notify the Housing Secretary of the new designation, who will establish the new Stockport Town Centre Mayoral Development Corporation in early 2026.

In September 2019, the Mayor used his devolved powers to establish an MDC for ‘Stockport Town Centre West’ to bring forward up to 4,000 new homes and 1 million sq. ft of new employment floorspace in the area by 2035, such as at Stockport Exchange, Weir Mill and Stockport Interchange.

Inclusion of the Town Centre East area will bring forward a combined total of 8,000 new homes alongside services and amenities, as detailed in Stockport Council’s Strategic Regeneration Frameworks for the two areas.

The expansion of the existing Mayoral Development Area in Stockport is a first for the UK, and will require the old MDC to be dissolved to establish the new body as legislation had not anticipated development areas would seek to be expand their boundaries.

Designation of the Stockport Town Centre Mayoral Development Area comes alongside the go-ahead for another major regeneration project elsewhere in the city-region deploying similar powers. Andy Burnham has also designated a Mayoral Development Area for the area around Old Trafford Stadium to deliver 15,000 new homes, employment development and improvements to local amenities and infrastructure.