'The face of Stockport would be fundamentally changed and irreversibly disfigured'

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

It is a town's signature in bricks and mortar, and has been described as "monumental" by a famous artist. An influential heritage group, the Victorian Society, fears Stockport Viaduct, a major feat of British engineering and a pioneering structure of the early railway age, will be "badly impacted and views around it destroyed" by recently submitted plans for development around it.

The Society is calling on the public to object to the plans as they currently stand. Weir Mill, on the banks of the River Mersey in the town centre, is currently the subject of a £60m renovation project.

The mill buildings are being restored and transformed into new homes. Two new-build blocks, including a 14-storey tower, have also been erected on the site.

Once complete, they will see the creation of 253 apartments, 87 in the historic mill buildings and 166 in the new builds. It will also boast new independent bars, eateries, coffee shops and stores as well as two new public squares and green space in what bosses and council chiefs say will become a 'vibrant' new area.