12th November 2025
By the Romiley Gazette Investigations Team
After more than a decade of stalled plans, failed deals and growing frustration, Offerton residents finally had a functioning retail space again — an Aldi supermarket now stands where the long-derelict precinct once blighted the area.
Locals generally welcomed the new store: it brings jobs, affordable shopping and footfall back to a part of Stockport long neglected by official regeneration efforts. But beneath the surface of that new façade lies a question that refuses to go away — why did the taxpayer have to pick up the bill again?
A Promised Developer That Never Paid Up
The original redevelopment deal was struck with Tenbest, the developer selected by Stockport Council to take on the Offerton Precinct site.
According to council documents from 2013–2014 (uncovered by campaigner Sheila Oliver and published on sheilaoliver.org), the agreement relied on an indemnity from Tenbest to cover key financial liabilities associated with the compulsory purchase order (CPO) and compensation payments to affected property owners.
However, it later emerged that Tenbest failed to honour its financial obligations. The council, and by extension the taxpayer, was left to meet the shortfall — using funds raised through borrowing.
“The developer simply never paid up,” says Oliver. “There was no effective due diligence done on their financial standing, no assurance they could actually deliver what was promised. Once again, Stockport residents footed the bill for someone else’s poor judgment.”
Aldi Steps In — Relief and Regret
In 2020, Aldi finally moved forward with a new scheme on the site — bringing with it visible results at last. Many residents say it’s a huge improvement over the derelict wasteland the precinct had become.
“It’s good to have something decent here again,” said one Offerton shopper. “We waited years for this. But it’s still galling to think the council lost so much money getting us here.”
While the supermarket chain’s investment has revitalised the area, questions remain about how it came to this point — and why the initial public–private partnership failed so spectacularly.
The Due Diligence Question
At the heart of the matter lies a basic governance issue: why did the council not properly vet Tenbest before awarding them the development?
Company records at the time showed minimal assets and a history of short-lived enterprises. Campaigners warned early on that the firm lacked the capacity to handle a multi-million-pound regeneration project — warnings that appear to have gone unheeded.
The council’s reliance on a single developer indemnity, rather than securing cash bonds or performance guarantees, had left it exposed. When Tenbest defaulted, the council had little recourse — and Offerton residents have paid the price.
Accountability and Lessons Learned
The Offerton Precinct saga stands as a cautionary tale for local government. It highlights the risks of weak oversight, poor due diligence, and over-reliance on under-capitalised developers.
Stockport Council has never published a full breakdown of how much the Tenbest shortfall cost the public purse, nor what lessons were formally learned. Calls for an independent audit or public inquiry have so far gone unanswered.
As one local resident put it:
“We’re glad the Aldi’s here. But we deserve to know how much that convenience cost us — and how this was ever allowed to happen.”
A Site Renewed, A Story Unresolved
Offerton’s long-troubled precinct may finally look alive again, but the questions it raises about governance and accountability still linger.
Regeneration shouldn’t mean regeneration at any price. If the public is expected to shoulder the financial risks, then the public deserves honesty, transparency and competence in return.
Until that happens, the story of Offerton Precinct will remain a reminder that even successful outcomes can hide costly mistakes.
Why hand golden planning elephants to the precinct owners who had let it get in this state?
200 companies run from this shuttered shop in London. Why did Stockport Council do no due diligence checks?
