Work commences on town centre affordable homes

Work has begun on a new phase of construction of affordable homes in Stockport town centre which form part of the Council’s £1 billion regeneration programme.

Contractors, Seddon, have begun work on 12 houses being brought forward by Stockport Homes Group on land off Orchard Street, between Hillgate and Churchgate, to the South of the town centre. In addition to the 12 houses which will be available through shared ownership, two apartments will also be developed and offered for affordable rent.

The scheme forms part of the Covent Garden Village community being delivered at Hopes Carr. Phase 1 included the delivery of 46 apartments by Seddon (ID4 Living) for Stockport Homes Group. Phase 2, also delivered by Seddon (ID4 Living), saw 36 family houses for owner occupation and private rent. 74 new homes also completed nearby in 2019 by Your Housing Group, one of Stockport Council’s Partner Registered Housing Providers, adding further to the affordable homes available in this part of the town centre.

The development has regenerated the Covent Garden and Hopes Carr area to provide high-quality mixed-use development aimed at families, in an attractive and sustainable environment, where residents can benefit from all the amenities of Stockport Town Centre, and provided much-needed affordable homes with a mix of tenure options.

ground-breaking ceremony was attended by the Leader of Stockport Council, Cllr Elise Wilson and representatives from Stockport Homes Group, Seddon and Homes England.

Cllr Elise Wilson, Leader of Stockport Council, said:

“This development has already been an enormous success and the future for this site is really exciting, new affordable and much-needed homes and yet another fantastic new town centre park which will be created at a nearby site soon after.

“So, I’m delighted that work is now underway to create this next phase for our residents. We’re creating new communities in the heart of the town centre, who can take advantage of exciting retail and leisure such as Redrock, access to jobs in improved office space and enjoy the culture of the Underbanks right on their doorstep with improvements to Merseyway also underway.

“We’re ambitious for Stockport and Hopes Carr benefits from fantastic rail and road connectivity. The arrival of our brand-new transport hub, along with a new town centre park, will be a massive boost to residents. I look forward to work progressing at this popular town centre location.”

Chris Munby, Head of Development at Stockport Homes, said:

“Stockport Homes is delighted to be a part of this fantastic scheme, which brings more essential affordable housing to the borough. The transformation of this once brownfield site shows the true positive impact that local partnership work can have, and we look forward to welcoming customers to their new homes.”

Nicola Hodkinson, Owner and Director at Seddon, said:

“It’s fantastic to be back on site at Hopes Carr and to be working with the team at Stockport Homes and the Council again. We’re proud to be part of transforming this once unloved brownfield site, into much needed homes for the community.”

The project has been supported through funding from the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and Homes England through the Housing Infrastructure Fund, which has supported the reprofiling of the sloping land at the site to make it viable for development. Stockport Homes Group has also been successful in applying to Homes England for Affordable Housing Grant, which will allow the properties to be sold, and the apartments to be let, as affordable housing.

Caroline Davies, Senior Manager at Homes England, said:

“We are committed to working with ambitious local authority partners seeking to meet their local housing needs through delivery of key infrastructure. Funding from the Housing Infrastructure Fund will help with extensive abnormal infrastructure costs such as the slope works, whilst our Affordable Housing Grant is helping to address local housing needs.”

The new housing is expected to be complete by March 2023.