Syed Kashif opening new fish and chip shop and cafe in Rochdale town centre

Syed Kashif with councillors Danny Meredith and Richard Farnell

Syed Kashif is opening a new fish and chip shop and café in Rochdale town centre.

The new business will open in the former Grandma Millie’s unit at Bull Brow on The Butts.

The property was badly damaged in the Boxing Day floods and Mr Kashif has spent around £30,000 renovating it using flood-resistant materials.

The new shop front will be a glass and timber Victorian style, in keeping with the town centre conservation area.

Mr Kashif said: “I’ve worked in a café in Manchester for a while and thought this was really good opportunity to have my own place. It’s a great spot right next to the river and we’ve totally renovated it.

"I'm hoping to open early in the new year and will be serving breakfasts, lunch and dinner from 7am to 7pm.”

Mr Kashif was lured to the town centre by the council's rates sale, which has brought a host of new businesses into the town centre of the past 18 months.

Councillor Richard Farnell, leader of the council, said: "Our business rates sale, the most generous council initiative of its kind in the country, has already proved a big success, with empty units filling as their fastest rate in a long time.

"We wanted to look at how we could do even more to improve our high street and found that the amount of money needed to get some of the vacant units into shape was too much for new businesses, so we came up with this scheme to give people even more incentive to invest in our borough and I'm delighted to see that it's already bearing fruit."