Greater Manchester has been a busy place for the construction sector in recent years, which has also meant demolition companies in Manchester have been busy too, clearing a number of brownfield sites and dismantling obsolete buildings to make way for new developments.

Speedy and efficient demolition work can be an important part of getting projects up and running in the city region and this may be the case again in the town of Marple, in the south east of Greater Manchester.

A new project will see the existing library building, along with the adjacent police station and health clinic, being demolished to make way for a new community hub. This will include a new library and a five-lane swimming pool, restoring swimming facilities to Marple several years after the local swimming baths closed.

The project is not the first of its kind in Greater Manchester. The Levenshulme district of Manchester gained a similar facility several years ago, although the old swimming pool and library in a different part of the district were not demolished.

Funded by £20 million of ‘levelling up’ cash, the Marple project may be a further indicator that such projects are increasingly happening away from the heart of the city region, where cranes have massed and skyscrapers have soared for many years.

While many major schemes are still in the offing around central Manchester – not least the possibilities of a new stadium for Manchester United and a wider transformation of the Old Trafford district – outlying areas may now be seeing a lot of development themselves.

The borough of Stockport, where Marple lies, is certainly a case in point. The town has just opened its new bus station, the centrepiece of a major redevelopment. It includes a walkway to Stockport train station, a new park directly above the bus bays and several new apartment blocks as Stockport attempts to emulate the city living vibe of central Manchester. 

Few might reflect much on the important work done by demolition contractors in clearing away the dated old bus station as its attractive replacement takes centre stage, but this was a vital step in getting the project moving.

Upcoming projects in Stockport may include the long-awaited extension of the Metrolink tram system into the borough, with the new interchange having space for a station.

At present, the line to East Didsbury stops dead yards from the Manchester-Stockport boundary, with clear scope for extension towards the town but also some likelihood that more demolition work will be needed, as the route may not simply extend all along the old railway lines of the Mersey Valley, but through the built-up district of Edgeley.

Stockport is far from alone among outlying areas of Greater Manchester hoping to be part of the city region’s growth. Bolton, which also hopes to be part of a future Metrolink expansion, is planning a £1 billion transformation of its town centre, ranging from town centre apartments to a new hotel and market food hall.

As the old is demolished to make way for the new across Greater Manchester, it is increasingly happening away from the core of the conurbation.