“You don’t want to compete with the nice old buildings, you want to do something that’s a statement on the era we are in,” says Tim Heatley, co-founder of ‘social impact developer’ Capital & Centric.
His property firm is behind a slew of ambitious Greater Manchester regeneration projects - including Kampus and Ducie Street Warehouse in Manchester city centre - but today he is enthusing about Weir Mill, an 18th Century mill in the heart of Stockport.
Standing in the shadow of the town’s iconic viaduct, the historic former cotton mill was in danger of falling apart in recent years, such was its state of neglect and dereliction.
Town hall bosses warned the Grade II-listed building - which stands on the banks of the River Mersey, between Chestergate and King Street West - could be lost forever when approving the planning application back in 2021. R EAD MORE: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp community Today - nearly a year after work began here - the site is a hive of activity, all noise, cranes and dust, with workers in hard hats and hi-vis jackets cutting industrious figures.
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