Stockport's District Centres

The District Centres of Stockport are vital to the economic, environmental and social fabric of the borough. Their importance is recognised within the Council's 'Cleaner, Greener, Safer, Stronger' Strategy for Stockport and within the draft Community Strategy. Central Government also recognises and stresses the importance of a planned and sustainable approach to shopping provision across the retail hierarchy and recognises the particular and vital role of maintaining local centres.

In economic terms the centres are home to more than 1100 retail/service businesses, providing in excess of 3000 local jobs. This figure is higher when other non-retail and office activities in the centres are included.

The environmental benefits of the Centres are significant. Many of the Centres are attractive and pleasant places to shop and in broad terms, being local, they provide environmentally sustainable services to the areas they serve. They are all well accessible to pedestrians, cyclists and public transport users. Most Centres also serve as significant points of public transport interchange for travellers to and from the locality and other destinations.

The social importance of the Centres must also not be overlooked. They provide easily accessible locations and services for the community as a whole, but particularly for the less mobile. They provide a very real sense of local identity and form a natural and important focus for the local community. They are also a focus for leisure activities, particularly in the evening when the pubs, restaurants and community buildings provide important facilities, easily accessible to their local communities.

Each of the eight District Centres is unique in many ways, however, many share a number of common issues and concerns. All are having to face increased competition from other retail and service locations, and are variously susceptible to market pressures. They all have environmental concerns, and would all benefit from having local players working together to support and enhance the Centre. A `Strategy for the District Centres of Stockport' sets out a series of general objectives to address these common problems.

Each individual Centre has its own individual pressures, needs and problems, and a series of individual `Action Plans' will clarify and specify issues and the extent to which the Strategy's general objectives can assist in the development and regeneration of the Centre. Each Centre will need different applications of resource and effort, and we will need to draw on examples of good practice elsewhere and in full discussion with local stakeholders.

To learn more about the other seven District Centres visit the Stockport Council District Centre Homepage.

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District Centre images kindly supplied by Stockport Council.