Stockport Council has published its response to public feedback on plans for a new Leisure and Community Hub in Marple, with a formal planning submission expected in March 2024.
The project is being supported by a £20 million of Capital Levelling Up funding, with the scheme also set to include a number of active travel and highways improvements in Marple.
Over 750 responses were received by Stockport Council during a consultation period in Autumn 2023, and have led to a number of alterations to plans first put forward by the council. In response feedback from the public, designs now propose additional sustainability measures, including rooftop solar panels and additional EV charging points, while a coach lay-by on Station Road has also been removed from proposals to reduce the number of trees lost to development.
Additional pedestrian crossings have also been added to plans for the area to improve walking and cycling access to the Marple Leisure and Community Hub. The overall building has also been reduced from three storeys, to two, with the ground floor library now all on a single level and the health clinic on the first floor to improve accessibility for both facilities.
A planning application for the project will be submitted in early March. Along with the planning application the council will be submitting a statement of community involvement.
Stockport Council has also confirmed the appointment of contractors, Wilmott Dixon, to the design and build for the scheme, and who will be undertaking a number of site surveys ahead of the planning submission.
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