Stockport looks ahead to another transformative year in 2025

2024 was a standout year for Stockport, cementing its place as one of the UK’s most exciting and forward-thinking towns. From being named The Best Place to Live in the North West by The Sunday Times to major milestones like the opening of Stockport Interchange and Viaduct Park, the borough has continued to thrive.

And now 2025 is shaping up to be more of the same, with the opening of Stockroom in the heart of the town centre, along with Weir Mill welcoming its first residents and the continuation of the town’s ambitious regeneration projects.  

Last year’s achievements showed how the borough’s bold vision and commitment to creating a place where people, communities, and businesses can flourish was the way forward.

As we move into 2025, with even more exciting developments ahead, Stockport’s momentum shows no signs of slowing down. 

Leader of Stockport Council, Cllr Mark Hunter, shares his thoughts about how 2025 is shaping up to be better than last year for the borough.

As we welcome 2025, it’s important to reflect on the start to the year, which has been tough for many residents and businesses following the recent heavy rainfall and flooding. This isn’t the New Year message that I anticipated sending when we ended the year. The scale of the rainfall—which saw Stockport experience more than a month’s worth in just 12 hours—has impacted lives and livelihoods, but it’s been heartening to witness our communities and teams come together to support those affected. The clean-up continues, and we remain committed to being there for you every step of the way.

Like many councils across the country, we also face significant financial challenges. We remain committed to tackling these challenges head-on through our strong leadership and working collaboratively with our public and third sector partners, local communities and businesses.

Despite these challenges, I hope you all look forward to what 2025 will bring for our borough.

Looking back at 2024, it’s clear Stockport continues to go from strength to strength. From being named the Best Place to Live in the North West to delivering major regeneration projects like the award-winning Interchange, we’ve proven that when we work together, we can achieve great things.

But we know it hasn’t been easy for everyone, and supporting those who need us most remains a top priority. Over the last year, our teams helped more than 59,000 residents access vital advice and support, securing over £17m in new benefits awards and writing off £3m of debt. This work will continue throughout 2025 to ensure no one is left behind.

We know it has been tough for many of our residents over the past 12 months, and many will face challenges in the year ahead, but we’ve been working hard to support those in need.

We were grateful to receive the Resolve Poverty Award in recognition of the work we and our partners have been doing to maximise the financial resources available to households.

This year also brings exciting developments:

• Stockroom opens this spring, a brand-new cultural hub in the heart of the town.
• Transformational projects like Weir Mill, Marple Hub, and the new Cheadle Railway Station will progress, delivering homes, jobs, and better connections.
• Essential restoration work begins at Bramall Hall, safeguarding this historic treasure for generations to come.
• And the Stockport Mayoral Development Corporation’s expansion will pave the way for more homes and opportunities across the town centre.

Sitting within Merseyway Shopping Centre, Stockroom will be a place that everyone can enjoy and is a key focus of ours in repositioning what residents want from our town centre.

The transformation of Weir Mill, an iconic riverside site, is on track for completion in 2025. This project will deliver 253 apartments and vibrant commercial spaces, at a historic landmark in the heart of the town centre. This project will breathe new life into this late eighteenth-century cotton mill, creating 253 apartments, new hang-out spaces, and independent bars, restaurants and shops. The scheme builds on the investment in our fantastic transport Interchange, and will see Weir Mill become a standout destination banks of the River Mersey.

Our journey to becoming one of the UK’s most sustainable and liveable towns has taken a significant step forward, as work begins on transforming the historic St Thomas’ hospital into a multi-generational residential community in the heart of the town centre. After over 15 years of being derelict, this redevelopment project will breathe life back into the Grade II listed site, repurposing it to deliver 68 new affordable homes alongside an 82-bed care facility.

We’ve also made so much progress with our work in this part of our town centre thanks to the efforts of the Stockport Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC). The MDC was established in 2019 by Stockport Council and GM Mayor Andy Burnham, to deliver 4,000 new homes and 1m sq. ft. of new employment space in the area west of the town centre.

Five years on, more than 1,200 new homes have been delivered or are currently on site, along with three new Grade A office blocks at Stockport Exchange. In 2025, the MDC will expand its scope to take over the whole town centre, aiming to deliver 8,000 new homes by 2040.

Work is already underway to shape the vision and delivery strategy for this expansion. We’re keen to hear your views through a programme of consultation and engagement activities throughout the year.

Our teams continue to press ahead with the Marple Hub project a little further out from the town centre.

Supported by a £20 million grant from the Capital Levelling Up Fund, the development will include active travel and highway improvements in the local area.

The hub will contain a library, a 5-lane swimming pool, a small café, a 60-station fitness suite, and be home to the relocated Marple Clinic.

The library and clinic will be relocated to the new complex, and the police will relocate to Hollins House. The scheme will also replace the village’s previous swimming pool, which closed in 2018 due to health and safety issues with the building.

Progress will continue to create a new railway station in Cheadle, which will sit as a new stop on the Mid Cheshire Line that links Chester to Manchester Piccadilly via Stockport.

This project will help us further boost our transport links, and we will continue to push Transport for Greater Manchester in our bid to see Metrolink serve our borough.

Our ambition for transport is linked to the Bee Network expansion, which has seen bus franchising come to Stockport this month. The network will mean cheaper fares for our residents, combined with creating services that go where residents need them to go.

This all links in with the work our team is doing to create new sustainable transport links across the borough that will help our residents find alternative ways to get to their destinations.

Thanks to generous grant funding from the Art Council of England’s Museums Estates Development Fund (MEND), we’re preparing to start an exciting and essential restoration and conservation project at Bramall Hall.

£1.6 million of funding has been granted to restore the failing roof and improve and upgrade the rainwater management system. These essential repairs will protect the Hall and its irreplaceable collections from any further damage due to water leaks and ensure it has a bright, long future as a leading cultural attraction, hospitality venue and local community resource.

While challenges lie ahead, I know we’ll face them head-on—together. Stockport is on the rise, and I can’t wait to see what we achieve this year.

Here’s to an exciting 2025!