'Fabulous' Stockport named best place to live in north-west England

Judges praised Stockport's "joyous collection of independent businesses"

A "fabulous" up-and-coming town in Greater Manchester has been named as one of the best places to live in the north-west of England.

The Sunday Times listed Stockport as "one of the most exciting towns around", praising its property prices and public transport connections.

Judges also highlighted the "joyous collection of funky independent businesses" in the town.

It comes as a new £120m Stockport bus interchange is due to open.

The newspaper described the industrial town just south east of Manchester as "in the throes of a mighty metamorphosis".

The new Stockport Interchange is set to open on Sunday

It placed Stockport top of the north west category in the annual Best Places to Live guide after looking into factors including schools, broadband speeds, access to parkland and the health of the high street.

Stockport's resurgence has been led by independent businesses alongside its growing food and drink scene.

Stockport has been praised for its open spaces such as Bramhall

Karen Bickley, the owner of independent gift shop The Warren, told BBC Radio Manchester the town had "survived the pandemic and was on the up".

Her store on Market Place was one of the many "thriving independent business" giving people "more reason to come here", she said.

Karen Bickley said the high street in Stockport was "thriving"

"I've lived in Stockport all my life and I love it," she said.

Several developments have come to fruition in the town in recent years, including the Stockport Exchange office district by the town's railway station.

Construction is also well underway on the first of 3,000 homes in a new development close to the River Mersey.

Antique furniture store owner Chris Collier said Stockport had seen "huge change"

Chris Collier, who runs an antique furniture shop on Little Underbank called Squound, said there was "a real excitement in the town".

"We're Stockport born and bred, we've seen a huge amount of change since we opened seven years ago," he said.

"The food and drink scene drives a lot of footfall to the independent shops, there's a real character here that isn't in any way contrived."

'Fabulous'

Other north west areas included in the Sunday Times Best Places to Live guide include:

• Christleton, Cheshire

• Kendal, Cumbria

• Knutsford, Cheshire

• Prestwich, Greater Manchester

• Ribble Valley, Lancashire

• Sefton Park, Liverpool

Councillor Mark Hunter, the Liberal Democracy leader of Stockport Council, said the Sunday Times' gong was "fabulous news".

He credited a £1bn regeneration of the town centre as "crucial" to the town's success as well as "lovely green belt areas" like Marple, Bramhall and Cheadle Hulme.

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