Plan for new business hub in Stockport could create hundreds of jobs

Plans for a new business hub in Stockport could create hundreds of new jobs in the borough.

The site of the former Armadillo Self-Storage, at Stanley Green Business Park in Cheadle, could be turned into ten commercial units as well as a coffee shop and restaurant with drive-thru facilities. It will feature new parking and landscaping works to the site.

The proposed development from Orbit Investments is set to come forward alongside a new self-storage facility which got planning permission in November 2023. A fire caused damage to the former buildings on the site in February 2022 which led to them being demolished.

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If approved, the new hub could create more than 200 new jobs and contribute up to £12 million to the economy once complete, consisting of more than 4,000 square metres of floor space.

A planning statement submitted as part of the plan highlighted that Stockport has a workforce with "specialisms above the national average across a range of sectors such as manufacturing, wholesale, and logistics."

It added: "The application site is cleared, and the applicant has the ability to commence construction immediately after a grant of planning permission. Delays in strategic sites being brought forward across the sub-region are limiting the supply of new employment floorspace, to the detriment of economic growth and prosperity.

"There is very good reason for the local planning authority to look favourably on the proposal for the cleared site, which has the potential to provide bespoke employment floorspace in a key strategic location."

Attracting new investments and jobs is a key part of the new Stockport