Stockport Independent Issue 182

NOVEMBER 2024 4 “Breaking through the 30m passenger barrier tells us we are giving people across the region great access to the places they want to travel to. “It cements our position as the UK’s global gateway in the North – the biggest airport outside London – and means we are rubbing shoulders with some of the best-known airports across Europe and the world.” He added: “Hitting this milestone comes at a really exciting time, with our trans- formation programme set to be fully complete next year. “It means we’ll be welcom- ing passengers to an airport that rivals any in major capitals around Europe in its all-around look and feel, service, facilities and the des- tinations it serves. “I’m proud of everything we’ve achieved in the last 12 months. We’ve had our busi- est year yet but at the same time over 98 per cent of our passengers waited less than 15 minutes to get to security.” MANCHESTER Airport has reached a major milestone by recording 30 million passengers in a year – putting it along- side some of the biggest airports in the world. It puts Manchester in the so-called “30 Million Club” - alongside major international airports like La Guardia, in NewYork, Melbourne Airport, in Australia, Hamad Interna- tional Airport, in Doha, and Sabia Gokcen International Airport, in Istanbul. Manchester boasts the most extensive route network of any UK airport outside London, with more than 200 destinations served – includ- ing several added in the last trains with the latest technology to min- imise disruption. Rob said: “Winter and summer are a bit unpredictable in the UK but you know that for two months of the year – in October and November – autumn will bring fallen leaves. “There have been some improvements over the years and we’ve got better at dealing with fallen leaves, especially since we introduced our new fleet of trains with modern technology that helps reduce the impact of low adhesion. “But I’ve not been in this position before where we have new equipment and technology that can be used across the network.” Northern is the second largest train operator in the UK, with 2,500 services a day to more than 500 stations across the North of England. more accessible than ever, and with 1,600 new homes already delivered to date and another 1,400 due to start on site by 2026 – including afforda- ble options – we’re deliv- ering much needed homes that future generations can call home.” David Chilton, managing director at Rowlinson, said: “We’re proud to be construct- ing this pioneering develop- ment that will revolutionise the care model in Stockport by offering support when it’s needed most.” The St Thomas’ Hospital site was originally built in 1841 as a workhouse and infirmary. It was later used as an NHS facility until 2004. Flying high! Airport joins 30 million club Milestone: Airport numbers are on the rise year such as Shanghai, Las Vegas and Casablanca. These new routes have proved popular, helping the airport reach the passen- ger milestone. More than 30.1 million people flew into or out of Manchester between the end of September 2023 and the end of September this year. The airport set records in each individual month. Managing director Chris Woodroofe said: “We’re proud to connect the North to the world - whether that’s for holidays, to see family and friends or for business. St Thomas scheme set to get underway Community: A CGI of the St Thomas Gardens’ development (Photo credit: Stockport Council) A CONTRACTOR has been appointed to create a new multi-generational community in Stockport town centre. The St Thomas’ Gardens’ development will include an 82-bed care facility and 68 homes. The start of con- struction work on the site is imminent. Gatley based Rowlin- son Construction has been appointed to the project, which is being delivered by Stockport Council and Greater Manchester Com- bined Authority. It will bring together hous- ing, health, and community services, creating “a dynamic living space for all ages”. At the heart of the scheme is a state-of-the-art care facility, which will become an integral part of Stockport Council’s vision for integrated health and social care in the borough. The council acquired the former St Thomas’ Hospital site from Homes England and it will include an exem- plar 82-bed intermediate care scheme called the Academy of Living Well, built with sus- tainability at its heart. The Academy will provide support for people transi- tioning between hospital and home to support the borough’s approach to health and social care integration. The development also includes affordable housing, which will breathe new life into some of the borough’s most important Grade II listed heritage buildings. These will offer a mix of shared ownership and social rent. St Thomas’ Gardens is part of the wider Town Cen- tre West regeneration project, which has already delivered 1,200 new homes and 170,000 sq ft of Grade A office space. Colin Macalister, Stockport Council’s cabinet member for economy and regeneration, said: “It’s fantastic news that we can confirm Rowlinson as construction partner on this project so we can bring this historic site forward, so it can be preserved and reimagined for modern, town centre living for all ages. “The new care facility will provide the right support for those transitioning between hospital and home and will be at the heart of this new community. “Our ambitious plans are continuing at pace, which is evident across the town centre. “The new transport inter- change has made Stockport Getting active on school travel Leaf it to Rob Prepared: Rob Cummings GREATER Manchester has set out its ambition to ena- ble more children and young people to travel to school and college in an active and sus- tainable way. Walking, wheeling, cycling and scooting to school or college has the potential to improve children and young people’s physical and mental health, and boost their attainment in lessons. And travelling actively on public transport can improve air quality near to schools, colleges and com- munities and reduce congestion for everyone on the transport network during pick up and drop off times. A new draft School Travel Strategy is being developed as a shared priority between the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) and the 10 local authorities includ- ing Stockport. Every day around 460,000 pupils travel to more than 1,200 schools and further education establish- ments across Greater Manchester. Around15 per cent of all trips in Greater Manchester are to access education, and in the peak periods between 8-9am and 3-4pm almost half of trips are education related. GraterManchester’s active travel commissioner, Dame Sarah Storey, said: “School Travel is one of my six priorities in the Active Travel Mission and it is important that we build on the positive impact of School Streets and broaden the scope of the work to make better use of all modes within the Bee Network for journeys to and from places of education. “In order to enable young peo- ple and families to travel to school and further education on foot, bike or public transport; those choices need to feel safe, easy and acces- sible - and the draft School Travel Strategy sets out how we will be aiming to do this. “A public consultation is being launched as part of this work so that we can better understand everyone’s journey needs and I hope pupils, parents, teachers and support staff at all of our education establishments will feed in to this so that we can refine the plans and make it work for everyone.” As part of the draft strategy, Greater Manchester is aiming for 70 per cent of primary school students in Greater Manchester to walk, wheel, scoot or cycle to school by 2030, up from 63 per cent at present. At secondary schools, the goal is for 80 per cent of pupils to walk, wheel or cycle or use public trans- port to travel to school, up from 74 per cent. The target for young people going to college or further education is also 80 per cent, up from 66 per cent. Targeted areas of proposed activity include creating safer streets around schools and contin- uing to deliver walking, wheeling and cycling infrastructure. In addition, the draft strategy sets out how the Bee Network will deliver more reliable, accessible and affordable bus services for children and young people. Vernon Everitt, transport com- missioner, said: “Supporting jour- neys to school is a key function of the Bee Network. “Our draft School Travel Strat- egy sets out how we want to enable young people and their families to make these essential journeys safely and reliably, while making the most of the opportunities pre- sented by the Bee Network. “Engaging with schools, colleges and communities will be key to the draft School Travel Strategy and we will be launching a public con- sultation in the coming weeks to progress with these conversations. Whether you’re a parent, teacher or part of a school community, we welcome your views.” THE man tasked with preparing Northern for autumn says the train operator is ready to tackle the “big problem” of fallen leaves on the line. In his 10th autumn with the company, seasonal performance improvement manager Rob Cummings has worked hard to minimise disruption for cus- tomers and ensure they can reach their destinations safely. He said: “Leaves on the line is a seri- ous safety and performance issue for the railway. You have a steel wheel on a steel rail and anything that causes low adhesion can be a big problem.” Known as the black ice of the railways, the leaves are compressed inwet weather and they form a thin, slippery layer on the rail which can cause trains to slide. Drivers must pull away more slowly and brake earlier for stations and signals to make sure they stop in time. This can lead to longer journey times and delays. Northern, which operates services across Cheshire and Greater Manches- ter, has spent nine months preparing for the autumn and completed the roll-out of additional equipment on its fleet of trains in the summer. Northern works closely with Network Rail, which runs railhead treatment trains along the lines six days a week to blast leaf mulch off the tracks and apply a gel – containing amix of sand and steel grains – to help services run smoothly. The train operator has also fitted its