Planning application submitted for Rochdale’s new flagship shopping and leisure development

Rochdale Riverside

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A detailed planning application for Rochdale’s new flagship shopping and leisure development in the town centre has finally been submitted by Genr8 Developments.

The town centre east development, to be known as Rochdale Riverside, will comprise around 25 leisure and retail units.

Anchor tenants include Marks and Spencer and Next.

Marks and Spencer, which has been trading successfully in Rochdale since 1933, will open a bigger and better store in the new development, which, at 50,000 square feet, (4,645 square metres), will have more than double its current retail sales floor space.

Next, the largest clothes retailer by sales in the UK, will open a 22,000 square feet (2,044 square metres) store in the new scheme over two floors, selling clothing, homeware and gifts.

Reel Cinemas has signed up to operate a six screen movie theatre.

It is understood the scheme’s retail agents are currently in negotiation with a major leisure outlet and other well-known national high street retail chains and restaurants and more announcements are expected in the coming months.

An independent economic assessment of the scheme suggests that the proposed development will create over 1,000 permanent jobs and could be worth around £17 million per year to the local economy.

Genr8, which has joined forces with Kajima to deliver the scheme, was nominated as the Council’s development partner in 2009, however signing of the contract was delayed until 2013.

In March 2015, it was reported that Genr8 intended to submit a planning application by the end of 2015 so that work could begin on site in mid-2016.

Following years of delays, construction is due to start in the summer of 2017, with completion anticipated to be 2018.

The planning application is expected to be considered in early 2017.