Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Director of Place Management.

The report sets out the ongoing programme of activity to secure Stockport as the Southern Gateway Hub for Greater Manchester, including:

·         The Next Stop Stockport programme to bring Metrolink to the town center.

·         The business case development to redevelop Stockport railway station to modernise its offer to passengers and increase capacity capabilities.

The Scrutiny Committee is recommended to comment upon and note the report.

Officer contact: Jamie Birtles on 0161 474 4466 or email jamie.birtles@stockport.gov.uk

The Director of Place Management submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) setting out the ongoing programme of activity to secure Stockport as the Southern Gateway Hub for Greater Manchester, including:

·         The Next Stop Stockport programme to bring Metrolink to the town centre.

·         The business case development to redevelop Stockport railway station to modernise its offer to passengers and increase capacity capabilities.

The Cabinet Member for Parks, Highways & Transport Services (Councillor Grace Baynham) attended the meeting to respond to councillors’ questions.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

·         The council’s ambition was to bring the Metrolink to Stockport within the next ten years with the phase one link being that from Didsbury to Stockport Town Centre and ambitions for further links between Reddish, Ashton and Manchester Airport.

·         Stanley Green had been identified by the council as a possible site for a railway station. Some funding was in place for the creation of that station, but further funds were required from Greater Manchester. The process of creating a railway station was reported to be slow and complex.

·         A fully funded scheme of road improvements on the A34 in Stockport was in place and a report on that scheme would be presented to a future meeting of this Committee.

·         Members requested that consideration be given to the creation of a tram/train network around Cheadle.

·         Members requested that consideration be given to travel across the borough, alongside access to Manchester city centre and Manchester Airport.

·         In response it was stated that the report aimed to demonstrate the significance of Stockport town centre within the national rail network and its links to suburban rail, tram and bus networks. It also aimed to demonstrate that Stockport had a thriving town centre. Further work with Network Rail and other railway partners would be undertaken in the coming months to create a holistic approach to travel across the borough. 

·         It was further reported that the project would include consideration of the Stockport to Stalybridge train route.

·         There had been no recent update from central government on the ‘Restore your Railways’ scheme.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.