Stockport Council has won three major bids from the Government’s Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) to encourage a new era of town centre living and make the centre an even more desirable place to live, work and play
The £8.5m grant, which has been won against stiff national competition, will help unlock key brownfield housing sites in Stockport’s town centre. This will open up and enhance previously underused areas of the town and the river Mersey, creating new green spaces, bringing iconic historic buildings back into use, catalysing further development and drawing in new investment.
Subject to further feasibility, the grant will be used to overcome the barriers of infrastructure costs and poor land conditions for Stockport’s new Interchange, the Weir Mill complex and Hopes Carr (Hempshaw Brook), bringing more than 500 new homes which will strengthen the local economy. These developments will be high specification, well connected to public transport and with all the town centre amenities on the doorstep.
Councillor Sheila Bailey, Stockport Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Housing, said: “I am delighted that the Council’s bid was successful. This grant, which is very much welcomed, will allow the Council to invest in the infrastructure needed to unlock sites for housing development in Stockport town centre. Stockport needs as much good quality housing in sustainable locations as possible. Such developments not only provide new homes but add to the ongoing regeneration of the town centre.”
The Housing Infrastructure Fund is a £5bn government capital grant programme to invest in council-led projects for the potential building of new homes in areas with the greatest housing demand. This grant will fund key local infrastructure projects such as new roads, flood defences, green infrastructure and land remediation work.
