Revealing the River Roch shortlisted for Community Award at North West Civil Engineering Awards

Tthe River Roch in Rochdale town centre

‘Revealing the River Roch’ has been shortlisted for a Community Award at the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) North West Civil Engineering Awards in Blackpool on Friday 10 March.

Councillor Richard Farnell, leader of Rochdale Borough Council, said: “I’m really proud to see the River Roch project being nominated for yet another award, just one year after another local heritage project, the new Victorian-style underpass at Rochdale train station, won the ICE North West award for best small project.

“We’ve also just received notification that we’ve been commended by Historic England for our research on the history and significance of the Medieval bridge. It’s clear that this fantastic regeneration scheme has not only captured the imagination of our residents and visitors, but also that of leading industry experts.”

Greg Couzens, who campaigned to get the river reopened, said: "I believe this is the fifth national award. I know some were against the project in the beginning but I hope they are on board now. 

"I still believe that this is the catalyst for change and it puts Rochdale in the media for the right reasons.

"We need to go further and open up more of the river in front of our magnificent Town Hall; it would give us a unique identity and help alleviate future risk of flooding."

The project, completed in June 2016 restored the bridge by repairing damaged stonework and rebuilding the section that was removed when the culvert was built.

In the Community Award category, ‘Revealing the River Roch’ is up against four other projects: Currock Bridge Cycleway Scheme in Carlisle, Irwell Valley Slope Stability in Bury, Northwich Town Centre and Runcorn Cutting Stabilisation Works in Merseyside.

The project already boasts a number of awards, including both the Heritage Award and Manchester Sub-Regional Project of the Year at the North West Construction Awards held in Liverpool in June, and it won a Heritage Award at the Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) Britain In Bloom North West competition.

In May last year, ‘Revealing the Roch’ also won the Excellence in Planning for the Natural Environment category in the Royal Town Planning Institute’s (RTPI) Awards for Planning Excellence 2016 held in London, and was also nominated in the Excellence in Planning for Heritage category.

Other awards at the ICE North West Civil Engineering Awards include: Diversity, Heritage, Volunteer of the Year, Mentor of the Year, Small and Medium Project, and Large Project.

In 2016, the Rochdale Underpass Renovation won the Small Project Award, after the disused underpass at Rochdale Railway Station was reopened after being closed since 1979.

The winners will be revealed live on the night at the ICE gala North West Civil Engineering Awards dinner at the Hilton Hotel, Blackpool.