25th November 2025

With the new £20 million Marple Community Hub now under construction, one question keeps cropping up in Romiley and right across Stockport: how on earth did one of the borough’s wealthiest, most desirable suburbs secure a Levelling Up grant?

Because let’s be honest — Marple is hardly struggling.

This is an area known for its leafy streets, high property values, scenic canal walks, excellent schools, and a long-standing reputation as one of the most sought-after postcodes in Greater Manchester. On almost every measure — income, employment, education, and local amenities — Marple sits comfortably toward the top of the borough.

It has two train stations, regular buses, low crime, strong community groups, and a town centre that, while not bustling, remains stable compared to many others. People move to Marple for the very advantages Levelling Up money is usually supposed to create elsewhere.

So how did a prosperous suburb end up winning a pot of funding intended, at least in spirit, for places facing economic hardship or chronic underinvestment?

The simple answer is this: the council framed the case around the loss of local facilities, not deprivation. When Marple Baths closed, the town suddenly found itself without a pool, without modern leisure facilities, and with a library and health services in outdated buildings. That created a political opportunity. A well-structured bid emphasised “reduced access to essential services,” “health inequalities,” and “regeneration potential” — exactly the sort of language Westminster wants to see.

In other words, Marple didn’t get Levelling Up funding because it’s deprived. It got it because it’s good at making a convincing case — and because a polished, community-backed proposal stood out in a competitive national system.

There’s also a strategic truth here: investing in popular, growing areas is low-risk. Money spent in Marple will be visible, well used, and politically safe. Residents care, campaign, and vote. Delivering a successful project in a high-profile suburb gives government something tangible to point to.

Does that sit comfortably with everyone? Not necessarily. Many less affluent areas could reasonably argue they had a stronger claim. But the politics of Levelling Up has never been purely about deprivation; it has always blended regeneration, visibility, and local momentum.

Regardless of how the money arrived, the result will be a major new asset in one of Stockport’s most attractive communities: a modern pool, library, clinic, studios, accessible facilities, and improved public realm — all in a place where property prices and quality of life show no signs of slowing.

Marple didn’t need Levelling Up to be desirable. It already was.