“The Weir Mill Development is a £60m show of faith in Stockport – we believe this is a brilliant place to live”

The restoration of the historic Weir Mill site took a big step forward last week as two towering cranes appeared on the Stockport Skyline.

The huge new development and preservation of a huge piece of Stockport History will see the former Mill turned into 270 apartments, with green hangout spaces, independent bars, restaurants and shops too.

It is sure to be a huge addition to the Town, augmenting the already thriving Underbanks. It really feels like Stockport is coming up in the world.

Construction of the site, which is being spearheaded by Capital & Centric started late last summer.

The foundations have now been laid; and work is set to begin in one of the biggest transformations of the Stockport skyline is likely to see.

The Grade II Listed landmark will form the centre of a buzzing new neighbourhood right in the heart of Stockport.

We spoke to Tim Heatley, the co-founder of Capital & Centric, who told us his excitement about working in Stockport.

“Truth of the matter is, we’ve had our eye on Stockport for a while now.

“It’s a very exciting and interesting place, so we’ve been looking for an opportunity for nearly five years.

“For us, the important thing is doing projects that change the narrative of a place and shift perceptions of the town or city we are in.

“With Stockport, it’s clear all the green shoots are here for it to continue its unique growth as an amazing place to live.

“There’s a superb scene of independent shops, restaurants and an amazing music and arts scene too. It’s got everything going for it.”

The internationally renowned Blossoms even shot an album cover on the steps of the Old Weir Mill.

Tim continued:

“The creative spaces are still here that allow for interesting things to happen.

“It’s still got an edginess to it which Manchester has almost lost in with its rapid regeneration and gentrification – the city has become quite polished now, almost respectable!

“You don’t see many derelict buildings in Manchester anymore, but there are plenty still in Stockport and you need them for interesting things to happen. That’s where all the fun stuff happens.”

The Weir Mill is currently a hive of activity, with over 100 people working to bring the project to life with a projected completion date of 2024.

Tim told us about why Capital & Centric thought this was the perfect place to add to their portfolio of work.

He said: “After a lot of work eventually we were able to prise the Weir Mill out of the hands of the former owner, as it was in a state of dereliction and disrepair.

“After all, it’s a conservation building, part of the fabric of the town, very visible and we wanted to bring it back to its former glory.

“We’re always looking for sites next to water, and this one overlooks the river, so it’s perfect to create something really special.

“Public space is also another thing we look for, but it’s so hard to find. You have to knock on so many doors, cajole and persuade often long standing owners to frankly, clear off.

“It was a crying shame that it was stood there doing nothing apart from becoming a area for antisocial behaviour and crime.

“Looking forward now, we’ve got 270 homes set to be built but most of all, we want to match the eclecticism of the town with a fiercely independent scene of cafes, bars, restaurants and workspaces which build on the amazing things happening in Stockport.

“We’ve got a role as an investor, one that perhaps is a bit more enlightened than your usual, to help to support these new industries and businesses too.

“We’ve got to make it affordable, give out advice and share our experience to create publicly accessible spaces that we can all use, pocket parks, courtyards and public squares that all feature massively in this project.”

The re-development is set to be a stand-out destination in Stockport’s Town Centre West masterplan – a 130-acre regeneration district being driven by Stockport Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC), which will see the delivery of 4,000 new homes, alongside local amenities, green spaces, new workspace and radical transport improvements.

The timing of the redevelopment has been tricky, and Tim also explained there was a ‘small but vocal’ opposition to them building under the viaduct.

He continued: “Despite Brexit, massive inflation and the Ukrainian War raising prices sky high – we had to fight really hard to commence construction and jut get things to start.

“It took a lot of hard work and stress and fear to overcome but look, at one point you’ve just got to crack on.

“We’ve been removing the later additions to the building and taking it back to its bare bones which has been a really wonderful experience.

“We’ve been stripping away all the additions from 70s and 80s, getting back to brickwork, stone fills, timber ceilings and cast iron columns, exposing the beauty of it, it’s been like unwrapping a beautiful gift and unearthing the amazing history behind this building.

“It’s been an incredible experience.

“Naturally with a building this old, It’s been there for couple of 100 years so everyone’s got an opinion on it.

“When we were applying for planning permission there was a small but noisy minority of people who had concerns about a new building next to the viaduct but actually in general a lot of people were very supportive.

“All we’ve got to do now is create an amazing development the whole town is proud of, and that’s what we’re going to do.”

This is not Capital & Centric’s first development in the area. The Kampus garden neighbourhood next to Manchester’s gay village is also one of theirs, but the Weir Mill site is set to be double the size of it, for scale. They are also responsible for the Ducie Street Warehouse and the Leonardo Hotel in Manchester.

They’re also on site restoring an iconic former cutlery works in Sheffield (the setting for an upcoming Channel 4 primetime design show).

Tim, who is from Salford, said growing up in a developing city had provided the inspirations for ‘what can be done’ when bringing an area back to life.

“We’ve seen in Salford how places can grow and evolve with the right infrastructure in place.

“In a way stockport, it’s so close to the city by train, it’s quite similar.

“It’s going to be a fraction of the price of city centre living but just the same in terms of aesthetic, operation and the ability to access a yoga studio or a good coffee shop or bar, as the city.

“Some people just would never live in the city centre, they want to live in Stockport. We want to cater for these people who aren’t prepared to pay the prices of the city centre, because it is eye-wateringly expensive.”

Tim was also quick to name check Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council for their amazing work in the area in bringing it back to life.

“They just get the place.

“Credit where it’s due, they are there as the gentle hand on the shoulder for all of their residents and business owners, helping to make all these interesting and different things that are going on happen.

“They encourage, support and financially assist businesses and residents but they don’t want any of the plaudits, they know that if the perception is that it’s the council, they wouldn’t think that it’s very cool, you know?

“They are really switched on and absolutely deserve a name check. They know exactly what’s cool about their town and they encourage it. Branding, placemaking, the eclectic mix of bars and shops and restaurants. They also understand what they should leave the experts too.

“The current situation with councils in Greater Manchester is a tale of two cities. You’ve got some ace councils who really get their town and boroughs.

“We’re seeing the ones that get it emerge and run away with it, and they are getting an influx of people moving to live there and being successful, but then you get the others that don’t engage.

“They don’t understand and aren’t prepared to take risks, and they are getting left behind.

“Stockport at the moment is reminiscent of the 90s Manchester renaissance period, it’s all playing out here now and it’s a beautiful thing to see.

“You only have to look at Wigan and Bolton and other places that are really coming up and where we’re working too, they just get it.

“They are on the same journey, starting out admittedly, but we’re on the verge of seeing great things in these towns.