The Greater Manchester town with new developments, a band heading to the big time and a football club on the up

Greater Manchester is a region in which investment and development is becoming a regular theme. Of course, Manchester city centre will always be seen as the major attraction, but the surrounding towns, cities and boroughs are proving to be eye-catching spots to visit and live. 

One of the Greater Manchester towns on the rise is Stockport. Located on the edge of Manchester, the town is subject to plenty of plans and developments which are turning it into a popular corner of the region. In recent weeks, a host of these applications submitted to planning authorities suggest that the development will continue. 

Amongst these new plans are a new micro-pub and a redevelopment of the town’s Stepping Hill hospital. Both show a drive to keep on turning Stockport into a real, genuine good place for people to make a life in. 

The Greater Manchester music scene is still going strong, with new bands from around the area continuing to make their mark on the national scene. Blossoms are Stockport born and bred, and over their years heading to the top they’ve shown themselves to be good, likeable people as well as top musicians. Their three studio albums have earned them plenty of praise, and they’ve made sure they don’t forget their roots. Their cool sound and down-to-earth approach to life and music makes them popular, it of course helps that they are also very talented at what they do. 

Frontman Tom Ogden owns the Bohemian Arts Club cocktail bar in the town, and this is just one of several trendy drinking spots. Another recent addition to the circuit is Bask which can serve you with food, drink, live music and much more. Bask is ideally located right by Stockport train station, meaning it's easy to pop over to from elsewhere in the region or even further afield- if you feel like it. 

You can take in a pint (or a cocktail) or two in Stockport before hedging over to watch one of the form football teams in Sky Bet League Two. Stockport County got promoted to the football league in 2022 and almost made it back to back promotions. 

This season, they sit top of the league having won 10 out of 15 and the last nine on the bounce. A club destined for a second promotion in three seasons is what any thriving town can do with, and in Stockport’s case it is par for the course. 

From cool bands, to encouraging developments and to a football team flying, there are lots of things going in Stockport’s favour at the moment. A 15 minute train journey south from Manchester Piccadilly means that a day out in the town can easily be done, and a drink at the end of the day can be partaken in without the worry of driving or parking your car.