Work has started on turning 18/19 Market Place into creative workspace, due mid-2027. The money was won in 2022; here is what the building will hold and when.

Work has started on turning 18/19 Market Place into a home for creative and cultural organisations. It is the black and white timbered building on the edge of the Market Place, in the Old Town. Stockport Council says the job is due to be finished by mid-2027 (Stockport Council).

It is the third building in what the council calls Stockport’s Creative Campus. The first two are Stockroom, the library, archive and culture centre on Adlington Walk in Merseyway, and the Merseyway Innovation Centre, which rents workspace to start-ups.

What the building will hold

The council’s announcement on 1 October lists:

  • workspace for creative and cultural organisations
  • space for networking and events
  • exhibition space to show work made in Stockport

The council has not yet said who will move in. It says details of how organisations can apply for space will be announced “in the coming months”.

The work is funded by a £2.2 million UK Government capital grant. It comes from the second round of the Cultural Development Fund, which Arts Council England runs.

The money was won in 2022

This building has been a long time coming.

  • 14 March 2022: Stockport was awarded £2.63 million from the Cultural Development Fund for a Creative Campus in the Old Town. The bid was led by the council with Manchester Metropolitan University and the digital arts group MadLab. It was described as a three-year programme of buildings, skills training and public digital art (One Stockport).
  • December 2023: a report to the council’s Cabinet said the Cultural Development Fund money would finish in 2025. It said Stockroom was meant to “pick up the digital arts mantle” after that (Cabinet report, 5 December 2023).
  • 23 September 2025: the council hired ecology consultants to carry out bat roost and bat emergence surveys, needed for a planning application to redevelop 18/19 Market Place (officer decision record).
  • 1 October 2026: the council announced work was under way.
  • Mid-2027: due for completion.

The council’s latest announcement gives the funding as a £2.2 million capital grant from the same second round. It does not say how that figure relates to the £2.63 million announced in 2022, which also covered training and events.

Why it matters for the Old Town

Councillor Micheala Meikle, cabinet member for economy, regeneration and skills, said the project was “preserving the unique character of our historic town centre”. The council says it will bring “another historic building back into active use”.

It is close to Weir Mill, the £60m mill restoration under the viaduct that was finished last week.

Stockroom has done well on numbers. The council says it had more than one million visits in its first year.

What it means for you

  • If you run a creative or cultural organisation and want space in the building, watch the council’s news page. It says the details of how to apply will come in the next few months.
  • If you use the Market Place, expect building work on the corner for the next year or so. The council has not published any road or pavement closures for the job. We will add any to our roadworks and travel page.
  • To follow the planning side, search the council’s planning register for 18/19 Market Place, SK1 1EW. Our planning news page covers the borough’s bigger decisions.