Derelict ‘eyesore’ to become 20-storey tower block in £70m project
A derelict office building in Stockport will be turned into a 20-storey tower with hundreds of homes in a £70m project.
Plans by Progressive Living, in partnership with Picture This, will demolish the Victoria House building and Fletcher Street surface car park in the town centre to make way for the new development with 245 homes.
A planning application for the work was approved by Stockport council's planning committee on July 3.
Spanning two buildings from eight to 20 storeys, a mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartments will be built in the scheme.
Bosses say the plans could 'revitalise a key gateway' to the town centre.
"We're delighted to have secured planning for what will be a flagship scheme for Stockport," said David Fairclough, director at Progressive Living.
"This approval represents a major milestone for a project that's been six years in the making, and we're proud to play our part in shaping the next chapter of the town centre's transformation.
"With demolition due to start later this year, we're looking forward to delivering much-needed new homes in a sustainable, future-focused way."
Shannon Conway, co-founder of Picture This, added that the development has been made after 'extensive' talks with the local community.
The project is supported with a £5.7m grant from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, but it took flak recently for having no affordable homes.
At the council's planning meeting on July 3 where the scheme was approved, Cllr Rachel Wise said bringing brownfield land back into use is a difficult and expensive task.
"This development involves a significant amount of money being invested through brownfield funds that are specifically designed to do this," she said.
"It is expensive to take something that has been abandoned and potentially had many kinds of warehousing, storage and industrial usage, making that good costs a lot of money."
Edgeley councillor Matt Wynne supported plans to demolish Victoria House and redevelop the land during a town hall meeting on June 19, where the plans were also discussed.
He said: "This site has been an eyesore for some time, Victoria House, it's an absolute state at the moment, I'd probably say it's the worst site in the town centre if not the borough."
Developers hope to start demolition works this year, with construction expected to start in spring 2026, and completion targeted for Summer 2028.
Cllr Micheala Meikle, Stockport council's cabinet member for regeneration, said: "This is another important step in transforming Stockport as part of the UK's biggest town centre regeneration.
"These high-quality new homes will bring more people into the heart of the town, supporting local businesses and making the most of our new transport links.
"With the Mayoral Development Corporation delivering 8,000 new homes and Metrolink on the horizon, we're building a town that works for the future – somewhere people choose to live, work and put down roots.
"This is exactly the kind of accessible, sustainable scheme we want to see in the town centre — creating homes for all ages as part of a thriving, low-carbon community."
The scheme was approved by councillors subject to a 'a late-stage viability review in respect of affordable housing' and other elements of the project.
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