Stalybridge Masterplan

This competition-winning design for the regeneration of a 3.5 hectare industrial site in central Stalybridge arose from two primary objectives: 1) to secure the future of the surviving Grade II listed cotton mill buildings through viable new uses and sympathetic alterations, and; 2) to strengthen and revitalise the wider town through the creation of an integrated mixed-use development, carefully knit into its surroundings. A detailed analysis of the site’s history and context was used to inform the scheme’s grain, scale, orientation, permeability and mix.  New buildings follow the historic patterns established by previous industrial structures, creating distinctive spatial sequences linked to a narrative of past use. The restoration of the surviving buildings was based on a strategy of drawing a clear distinction between the old and the new – a strategy fully supported by English Heritage and the local authority conservation team. The masterplan formed the basis of an outline planning consent for a community of over 300 new homes.