Bridgefield includes 650,000 sq ft of retail, 80,000 sq ft of leisure and dining outlets, a multi-screen cinema, 250 residential apartments, as well as 1,750 car parking spaces. Construction had been expected to start in 2010.

Lend Lease had invested millions of pounds in consulting and preparing plans, but is understood to have cited economic conditions as the reason for its withdrawal - though it is still unclear whether the developer will pick up the scheme once the economy turns.

Stockport council, however, now appears to be looking for a new development partner.