Rochdale's empty shop vacancy rate rises

Photo: Kirsty Rigg

Empty shop

Rochdale's empty shop vacancy rate has risen to 18.6%, the highest level since December 2010.

Local Data Company told Rochdale Online that Rochdale's vacancy rate is higher than the average UK shop vacancy rate of 14.6% but lower than the North West average of 20.1%. Rochdale's vacancy rate is also significantly lower than neighbouring Oldham where 27.4% of shops are empty.

The Association of Town Centre Managers (ATCM) has criticised the figures as being “fatally flawed” and called for future releases on empty shops to be verified by local authorities before being issued, a call that Rochdale MP Simon Danczuk says is “an astonishing attack” and “smacked of desperation”.

Director of Local Data Company, Matthew Hopkinson said: "We collect our town centre shop vacancy statistics by physically visiting over 650 towns and cities up and down Great Britain. It is the only source of comprehensive field researched data which is based on a published methodology and based on the Government's CLG defined retail core. As such it is wholly objective and independent as well as providing the only insight of this type of vacancy rates across the country.

"ATCM has been offered the opportunity to create its own boundaries nationally but that offer was never taken up.

"Most importantly it provides a true 'consumer' view of the occupancy and vacancy profile of our town centres."

Mr Danczuk said: “It’s unhealthy when an organisation like ATCM, which is being paid to deliver a package of Government support, tries to silence informed debate about empty shops to suit its own ends.

“It’s starting to look like they are more interested in doing the Government’s bidding than getting to grips with the problem of empty shops.”

Mr Danczuk said ATCM is “splitting hairs” by “quibbling” about town centre boundaries and instead energy should be focused on filling empty shops.

Shoppers in Rochdale have complained that stores such as TJ Hughes, McDonalds and Bon Marche, which closed last year, have been replaced by charity shops, bargain basement stores and payday lenders.