Stockport Interchange is a

transport hub A transport hub is a place where passengers and cargo are exchanged between vehicles and/or between mode of transport, transport modes. Public transport hubs include train station, railway stations, metro station, rapid transit stations, bus ...

Stockport Stockport is a town in Greater Manchester, England, south-east of Manchester, south-west of Ashton-under-Lyne and north of Macclesfield. The River Goyt, Rivers Goyt and River Tame, Greater Manchester, Tame merge to create the River Mersey he ...

Greater Manchester Greater Manchester is a ceremonial county in North West England. It borders Lancashire to the north, Derbyshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Cheshire to the south, and Merseyside to the west. Its largest settlement is the city of Manchester. ...

, England. As well as a bus station, it includes walking and cycling links, a rooftop park, and a mixed use residential and commercial building. The interchange opened on 17 March 2024.

History

In 2014, funding was awarded from the Greater Manchester Local Growth Deal for the redevelopment of Stockport bus station into a modern transport interchange; a residential apartment block was added to the proposed scheme in 2016. In October 2018,

Transport for Greater Manchester Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) is a local government body responsible for co-ordinating transport services throughout Greater Manchester in North West England. It is an executive arm of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), ...

(TfGM) and Stockport Council submitted a planning application for the mixed use development. On 21 March 2019, planning permission was granted by Stockport Council. The development partners for the project comprised Stockport Council, TfGM, the

Greater Manchester Combined Authority The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) is a combined authority for Greater Manchester, England. It was established on 1 April 2011 and consists of 11 members: 10 indirectly elected members, each a directly elected councillor from one ...

Homes England Homes England is the non-departmental public body that funds new affordable housing in England. It was founded on 1 January 2018 to replace the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA). HCA in turn was established by the Housing and Regeneration Act ...

and developer CityHeart. The overall scheme was designed by BDP, the interchange by The Harris Partnership, and the mixed use residential and commercial building by

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

architects Leach Rhodes Walker. Work on the project began in October 2021, with the demolition of the town's bus station, located between Wellington Road ( A6) and

Stockport Viaduct Stockport Viaduct, alternatively known as the Edgeley Viaduct, carries the West Coast Main Line (WCML) across the valley of the River Mersey in Stockport, Greater Manchester, England (). It is one of the largest brick structures in the United Ki ...

. In March 2022, construction work on the interchange was started by the main contractor,

Willmott Dixon Willmott Dixon is a British privately owned contracting, residential development and property support business. History The company was founded at Bassingbourn in Cambridgeshire by a bricklayer, John Willmott, in 1852. During the second half ...

. In January 2024, fit out and decoration of the interchange began, as well as the installation of the link between the building and Station Road. Construction of Stockport Interchange was initially due to be completed in spring 2024, though it was announced in February that passengers would be allowed access from 17 March 2024.

Facilities

The interchange includes an accessible, covered passenger concourse with seated waiting areas, 18 bus stands with the capacity to accommodate 164 bus departures per hour, cycle storage facilities and a travel shop. The development also includes a landscaped park on its roof, located above the bus station. Following a public vote, it was named Viaduct Park. A waterside walking and cycling route with a spiral ramp provides access from the

River Mersey The River Mersey () is a major river in North West England. Its name derives from Old English and means "boundary river", possibly referring to its having been a border between the ancient kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria. For centuries it h ...

and the

Trans Pennine Trail The Trans Pennine Trail is a long-distance path running from coast to coast across Northern England on a mixture of surfaced paths, with some short on-road sections, and with gentle gradients (it runs largely along disused railway lines and c ...

to the park and onward to the town centre.

Mixed use building

The site of the interchange also includes a 17-storey, 196-unit

Build to Rent Build to rent is a term for purpose built, institutionally owned and professionally managed residential property that is letting, let on the open market rather than sold. Growth in the UK market In October 2016, it was estimated that only so ...

residential building by the developer CityRise Interchange Homes, a joint venture between Cityheart and Rise Homes. There are two floors of basement parking and commercial units on the ground floor level.

Future

The design of Stockport Interchange has made allowance for a future connection to the Metrolink network, with space being left for a tram stop on the site, should the network be extended to the town.

Gallery

File:Stockport Interchange construction - Leslie Kerwin.jpg, Construction of the interchange approaching completion, February 2024 File:Stockport Transport Interchange (geograph 7738478).jpg, Buses in the interchange, March 2024 File:Stockport Interchange Helix viewed from railway landscape.jpg, The helix structure on Stockport Interchange, as viewed from the nearby railway File:Stockport Transport Interchange (geograph 7738373).jpg, Stockport Interchange and Stockport Viaduct

References

External links

Transport for Greater Manchester - Stockport Interchange
{{Authority control Metropolitan Borough of Stockport Stockport Transport in Stockport Buildings and structures in Stockport Bus stations in Greater Manchester 2024 establishments in England