Opening date for Stockport's new £135m transport interchange and rooftop park confirmed

Stockport's 'transformational' multi-million-pound new transport interchange and rooftop park is set to open next month, it has been confirmed.

Work on the new £135m project - a key pillar of the £1bn transformation of the town centre - is now approaching its final stages. Bosses had only previously said it would open in the spring but have now confirmed that the public will be allowed in for the first time, and buses will start running from there, on Sunday, March 17.

It will have 18 bus stands, able to accommodate 168 buses an hour. It will be 'Metrolink ready' should the line ever be extended to the town, and will be accompanied by a tower block with 196 new 'high quality' apartments.

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On the roof of the interchange building is a two-acre, landscaped 'podium park' featuring play equipment, festoon lighting, and a 'community space.' It is connected to the nearby train station via a walking and cycling route on a bridge over Daw Bank and Exchange Street.

The temporary bus station that has been operating on Heaton Lane and services will transfer over to the new interchange on March 17. Passengers will be able to access it from entrances on Mersey Square, Swaine Street and Daw Bank from the 17th.

There will also be access to the interchange from the new rooftop park via both lifts and stairs from Monday, March 18. The route connecting it to the railway station will also open on Monday morning.

Stockport Council and Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) say the new interchange has a 'fully accessible passenger concourse with seating areas for people to use while waiting to catch their bus.'

They add there also 'fully accessible toilets