It's been part of the town for more than 180 years. Stockport Viaduct – standing at 34-metres with 27 massive arches – is a symbol of industrial pride and local identity.

Since opening in 1840 as part of the Manchester and Birmingham Railway, it has become one of the borough's most famous landmarks and serves hundreds of trains a day on the West Coast Main Line.

But fears are growing views of the iconic structure could soon be lost due to plans to build huge apartment blocks.

The impressive transformation of the town centre continues apace. As part of a major regeneration project known as Stockport 8, up to 1,300 homes will be built in an area in the west of the town centre.

The highest building will be up to 16-stories tall – around 45m.

Both Historic England and the Victorian Society raised concerns about how the blocks could impact Stockport Viaduct, while also recognising the need for more homes.

The Victorian Society said the Viaduct is an 'integral part of Stockport's identity', and that the development could lead to the 'diminishing of clear views to the viaduct from several locations'.

It added: "The Victorian Society is concerned that proposals such as this, which are centred around large, tall buildings, combined with proposals of a similar nature which have already been granted consent (Weir Mill) will result in an over development of the area close to the viaduct."

Historic England said in its letter: "The buildings have the effect of towering over the viaduct due to their height and will have a harmful effect on its significance by crowding its setting and diminishing its prominence."

The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) asked people in Stockport town centre what they think of the concerns.

"The Viaduct is the first thing you see when you get to Stockport," said Sarah Williams, 42, who spoke to the LDRS in Viaduct Park.

Sarah Williams, a local resident (Image - Declan Carey LDRS)

"When we were kids coming back from holiday, we knew we were home when we could see it.

"I know we need more housing but it needs to be [affordable] for people to buy, otherwise it doesn't help," Sarah added. "There's a lot of people facing things like homelessness these days."

Claire, 33, from Davenport, said: "The Viaduct is Stockport for me, I think building flats around it might actually ruin it a bit. It's so iconic, it's a real shame, the flats will massively take away from that.

"I definitely understand the need for more housing, a lot of people do want to live here and I think there is a real need for them because there's not much affordable housing here now."

Claire, a Davenport resident (Image - Sean Hansford)

Julie, 70, added: "The Viaduct is a historic monument in our town and this is going to take the glory away from it. They're building square boxes with no character, it's just sad."

Others were less upset about the changes.

Michael Handley, 56, said: "The regeneration that's going on in Stockport is good for the area. We've moved into offices in Stockport Exchange from London and now we have over 100 people here.

"There's a real need for more housing, there are people who find it difficult to get on the housing ladder, more developments will help that. I think prices going up [for rent] is a natural progression, in Stockport there are some deprived areas and more affluent areas too."

Michael Handley, another local resident (Image - Declan Carey LDRS)

The plans for Stockport 8 were approved by the council's planning committee last week, and are aimed at creating more housing in the borough where demand is rocketing.

Currently, the land is home to a mix of low-rise buildings on the intersection of King Street West and Daw Bank, including industrial and office use, as well as surface level car parking.

New buildings will be based across three different plots, which are being delivered in phases.

The designs include public spaces, such as creating Viaduct Square, to give the chance to view the Viaduct in new ways.

It has been described as 'by far the largest residential proposal that has come forward in the borough', and is led by developer ECF working with Stockport council and the Stockport Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC).

It includes a mix of one, two and three-bedroom flats, and a commitment for 82 affordable homes in plot 1B of the scheme, with more to come in future phases.

Dense housing is thought to be one of the best ways to tackle the borough's housing shortages, building large numbers of homes close to the town centre where there are already strong transport links such as Stockport's transport interchange, train station, and future Metrolink stop.

Bosses behind the plans say care has been taken to locate the greatest heights and mass away from the viaduct with a stepped increase in height.

Simmering alongside the project is an urgent need for more homes, with around 8,000 people on the social housing register, and warnings last summer of 'unprecedented' numbers of people at risk of becoming homeless.

Joe Stockton, development director at ECF, said the firm understands concerns around the Viaduct, and has taken this into account with its design.

"We recognise that developing in close proximity to the Viaduct requires extremely careful consideration, so our buildings have been sensitively designed at every stage to respect their local surroundings.

"As part of the plans, we are also opening up new views of the Viaduct by creating public spaces and providing access underneath some of the arches which have formerly been fenced off from the public.

"We hope that this will create a positive experience for those wanting to get up close to this important and historical asset to the town."

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