Stockport Exchange Project Accelerated
The fourth phase of the Stockport Exchange project is to be speeded up, with a large new office block being constructed sooner than originally planned.
Regeneration specialist Muse and Stockport Council have applied for permission for the construction of a 64,000 sq ft Grade A office block, along with a 400-space multi-storey car park, after securing an extra £4.2 million of funding from the government’s Getting Building Fund.
It will mark the next step in the £145 million transformation of the former Grand Central area, with two new office buildings, a multi-storey car park and a hotel having been built on the site next to Stockport Railway station.
Senior development surveyor at Muse Tom Webber said: “Reaching the latest milestone in the Stockport Exchange story and receiving this funding boost from the government’s Getting Building fund highlights confidence in our collective long-term vision for the scheme.”
Leader of Stockport Council, Cllr Elise Wilson, commented: “Stockport Exchange has gone from strength to strength, attracting major businesses such as BASF and its success is testament to the hard work and commitment of everyone involved.”
The building is likely to include a number of glass partition walls as its design images reveal a modern steel and glass facade. It will certainly include a number of eco-friendly elements, with the multi-storey car park set to feature electric vehicle charging points, while the building will be partly powered by solar panels and feature a green living wall.
The site had previously been occupied by the Grand Central leisure complex, including a nightclub, restaurant and multi-screen cinema. Much of this has now gone, although the swimming pool and gym facility on the south side of the old development remains in place, as does the basic layout of the precinct, which offers an easy walking route from the railway station to the A6.
Stockport now has a new multi-facility leisure complex in place called Red Rock, which lies in another part of the town centre by the Merseyway shopping precinct.