Stockport is set to receive £56.3 million from the first wave of the £1 billion GM Good Growth Fund, announced by Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham alongside Stockport Council Leader Cllr Mark Roberts at Stockroom.

The funding, part of an initial £400 million investment, will accelerate the UK’s largest town centre regeneration, unlocking development of well-connected, sustainable neighbourhoods and hundreds of new homes.

The package includes £41.3 million to fast-track the Stockport 8 neighbourhood, which will ultimately comprise 1,300 energy-efficient homes, with 435 delivered in the first phase, including 82 for affordable rent. A further £15 million will support 245 age-inclusive homes on Fletcher Street, redeveloping a derelict office block and car park into a 7–20 storey building meeting the Lifetime Homes standard.

The investment builds on the work of the Stockport Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC), which has delivered projects including the multi-award-winning Stockport Interchange and Weir Mill. To date, the MDC has attracted £600 million of private investment, created 1,200 new homes, and delivered 170,000 sq ft of Grade A office space.

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Subject to Parliamentary approval, the MDC boundary will be expanded eastwards to cover the whole town centre, paving the way for a further 4,000 homes (8,000 in total), plus a new school, a health hub, a riverside park and improved transport links.

Greater Manchester's brownfield-first, public–private regeneration model is being replicated elsewhere in the region, including the Old Trafford Regeneration scheme. The city region has outpaced the national average for growth and productivity over the past decade, and maintaining 3.1% annual growth could add £38 billion to the UK economy by 2035. Of 30 priority, growth-driving projects identified across the districts, Stockport will receive the largest share of funding outside the city of Manchester.

Stockport Council Leader, Cllr Mark Roberts, said: "This is a huge vote of confidence in Stockport and the partnership-led approach that has transformed our town centre. The Good Growth Fund will turbocharge the next phase of regeneration in our town centre, helping us transform underused land into sustainable, thriving neighbourhoods with high-quality homes and places for people to come together.

"Stockport is already one of Greater Manchester's success stories, and this investment ensures we continue to lead the way in regeneration and go even further and faster. This boost not only means new homes but new opportunities for everyone across our borough, with new jobs in construction, growth for businesses, better connectivity and ensuring our town centre continues to flourish for everyone."