Stockport Council has launched a public consultation on a draft regeneration masterplan for up to 3,500 new homes in Stockport Town Centre West.

The public consultation will use powers from the new Mayoral Development Corporation for the area that will come into effect in September.

The plan – the first time the Mayoral powers have been used in Greater Manchester and the first in the country focus on a town centre – aims to build homes of all types across the area.

Cllr Elise Wilson, leader of Stockport Council, said: “Stockport Town Centre is undergoing a massive £1bn regeneration programme.

“The council has already created a track record of delivery through major commercial and leisure projects like Stockport Exchange and Redrock alongside improvements in the Market Place, transport investment to improve road access into and around the town centre, and ambitious plans for the future of the Merseyway shopping centre.

“The momentum we’ve already generated provides the ideal platform for the long-term regeneration of Town Centre West as Greater Manchester’s newest, coolest and greenest new urban village.

“I hope local people, businesses, and stakeholders will be as excited as we are about these proposals and engage with the consultation so that it becomes a collective vision and ambition that we all share.”

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said: “My commitment to a low carbon future, building on brownfield sites, and ensuring Greater Manchester’s town centres are able to fulfil their potential is very close to my heart.

“I’m very encouraged by Stockport’s response to the Town Centre Challenge and I’m happy to use my powers to create Greater Manchester’s first Mayoral Development Corporation.

“This will lead the regeneration of the Town Centre West area in a way which is consistent with my strategy for a truly integrated public transport system, along with enhanced cycling and walking links, that support sustainable urban living.

“This is the first Mayoral Development Corporation in the country to be used to support the regeneration of a town centre, and I’m delighted to be able to support Stockport’s ambitions in this way.”

The public consultation will run from July 18 to September 6, 2019. The full document, along with the consultation questions, will be published on https://consultation.stockport.gov.uk/.