Plans for a new multi-story car on the outskirts of Stockport town center were approved despite city councilors declaring a “climate emergency” two years ago.
The 284-room facility will serve Kingsgate House on Wellington Road North – home to an NHS ambulance and a number of corporate offices.
It will almost double the available parking spaces on four levels, including 19 disabled parking spaces and 32 covered bicycle spaces.
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Stockport City Council declared a “climate emergency” in March 2019, which led to the “Climate Action Now” (CAN) strategy – which aims to put the environment at the center of decision-making at City Hall.
However, planners said the benefits of creating more space for visitors and staff – coupled with the promise of more disabled and electric vehicle parking spaces – outweighed concerns about pollution, air quality and congestion.
That didn’t stop the Central Stockport Area Committee from recommending the motion when the report went before it last month. City councilors, however, accused the officials of “not taking climate change seriously”.
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And although the entire planning and motorway committee ultimately gave the proposals the green light, not everyone was happy about it.
Coun Iain Roberts said that after the council issued a climate emergency statement, it needed to do things better – not just keep them from getting worse.
Handing over the parking garage plans would encourage car use by making it “more convenient” for employees, he added.
He continued, “It’ll make it more convenient because you’re telling people, ‘If you’re driving, it’s really easy now because you can park right in front of your office for free. You don’t have to walk at all, you don’t even have to stretch your legs.
View of the planned Kingsgate House parking lot from Standbridge Court and Wyatt Street.
(Image: Railway developments)
“That will likely lead to more people choosing to go downtown, which increases pollution and damages the climate.”
Coun John Taylor had similar concerns – saying the pandemic presented an opportunity to take a bolder approach.
“Things are not going to go right back where they came from – and neither should they.
“We should take this opportunity to take a step forward on the progressive goals that we believe we can achieve on climate change.
“And we shouldn’t really be encouraging people to come up with such applications in advance.”
However, Count Wendy Meikle decided to approve the motion.
“This building has many different uses and many people visit it,” she said.
“If you are only paying one visit, it is very difficult to park at the moment, parking is limited.
“If the staff has to park on the street, that will also cause problems.”
Coun Meikle’s motion was supported by Coun Roy Driver, and the committee agreed to approve the plan.
Access and landscaping issues are dealt with in a separate “Reserved Matters” application.
The Stockport City Council’s Planning and Motorway Committee met on Thursday evening (July 8th) in City Hall.
