The regeneration of Rochdale
Date published: 02 January 2019
Photo: Journeaux
River Roch re-opening project in Rochdale town centre
Anyone who has set foot in Rochdale town centre in recent months will know that big changes are afoot.
The steel frame of what will become the Rochdale Riverside development’s new Reel Cinema now looms above the Smith Street Metrolink stop.
Foundations for the new Marks and Spencer building are in place.
The town’s new indoor market has opened in the former Santander building, while outdoor market stalls have moved to The Butts from their temporary home in Yorkshire Street, following the opening of the River Roch.
In recent years, Rochdale Council’s Number One Riverside offices, as well as a new transport interchange and Metrolink extension – thanks to a £250m investment in the town centre – have come to fruition.
A further £150m investment is yet to come.
But it’s not all about the centre. Council officials have an ambitious vision of a transformed borough powered by new housing, unrivalled transport links and booming employment sites.
The coming twelve months will see progress on a number of key schemes
Rochdale Riverside
These are difficult times for the high street.
But work on this £80m retail and leisure development is already well underway – bolstered by Marks and Spencer’s decision to recommit to the project.
Senior council officials believe that luring big name retailers, such as Next, River Island, Boots, and combining them with a Reel cinema and a range of cafés and restaurants, will bring success to the heart of Rochdale.
Building more town centre homes and capitalising on Rochdale’s strong transport links with Manchester, Leeds and further afield are all part of the plan to transform the town into one of Greater Manchester’s major players.
John Searle, Chief Executive of Rochdale Development Agency, says that this development shows the scale of the authority’s vision.
“That’s where the council has been really ambitious,” he adds.
“There’s a retail and leisure scheme of over 200 square foot. It’s about bringing high street brands to the town – and it’s primarily about bringing high street brands that aren’t here already.”
“Next is a good example of that: they wanted modern double-height mezzanine space. That’s what the scheme is all about – delivering that space to retailers, cafés and leisure operators.”
Councillor John Blundell, cabinet member for regeneration, business, skills and employment, is bullish about Rochdale’s future prosperity.
“In some areas, retail is declining, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to decline everywhere – we shouldn’t be afraid of sticking our neck out,” he says.
“It’s not just about retail – you have to remember there’s a lot of leisure going in there.
“If you want more people living in the town centre, you have to have those facilities and amenities for people to use.”
It is hoped that the first phase of the development will be completed by summer 2020.
The council is currently working up plans for a second phase will feature offices, a 120-bed hotel and 230 residential apartments.
Rochdale Town Hall
Rochdale is not short of heritage assets, but they have not been put to the best use.
The borough’s ‘jewel in the crown’ – its stunning Gothic-revival style town hall – is in need of a makeover.
A refurbishment of the Victorian-era building, which is undoubtedly the town focal point, is planned.
Initial approval for £8.9m funding of Heritage Lottery funding has also been secured.
Council officials believe the town is ill-served by having the Grade I-listed historic building surrounded by a car park.
Plans for a town hall square include ‘dramatically improving’ the area around the building and creating a ‘high quality link’ with the Memorial Gardens.
A landscape architect is set to be appointed imminently and the ‘town hall square’ is expected to be finished some time in 2020. Proposed internal improvements could take longer.
Mr Searle says that it is vital the council gets plans for the town hall ‘absolutely right’.
Councillor Blundell believes Rochdale is like no other town in the north of England.
“The town centre is full of heritage assets and I think there has been a realisation we need to use them better,” he adds.
“I challenge anyone to find a town centre with as many obvious heritage assets.
“The general buildings are quite nice, we just haven’t used them properly in the past.”
Drake Street Heritage Action Zone
The only area in the north west to be granted Heritage Action Zone status, this scheme is putting Rochdale on the map.
Once the town’s premier shopping area, Drake Street has long been in decline, but the project is set to bring a number of its historic buildings back into use – as either housing or businesses.
Councillor Blundell says Heritage England funding gives historic assets a renewed status.
“Drake Street has been struggling for years, and the answer to that is to have more residential properties,” he adds.
“Yes, we want to look after heritage assets, but you have to do something with them.
“The town centre isn’t a museum; these things have to be used.”
Fire Station Museum
The third of Rochdale’s big heritage projects is the redevelopment of Greater Manchester Fire Museum via a £1.7m Heritage Lottery Fund grant.
The ground floor of the former fire station, in Maclure Road will be renovated to create a dedicated exhibition space for the museum’s exhibits.
There are also plans to convert the first floor for a different purpose.
Councillor Blundell said: “It’s another example another example of how the council is cleverly using heritage assets
“At the existing museum there’s a top floor we are thinking about what we want to use it for – do we want business, some type of offices or some type of community hall.
He added: “It’s all coming together over the next couple of years – but that doesn’t mean it just stops, it’s on with the next thing and the next thing.”
Lower Falinge
Five of the blocks in Lower Falinge are to be demolished to make way for 55 new family homes.
The planning committee gave proposals from Rochdale Boroughwide Housing (RBH) the green light in November.
They will be replaced with 33 one and two-bedroom flats and 22 two and three-bedroom houses.
The five blocks house 100 flats between them, but RBH says its plans will provide a ‘better quality and mix of homes’ in Rochdale town centre.
There will also be a new park and play area to create a ‘green heart’ at the centre of Lower Falinge.
The controversial proposals were not universally welcomed by residents.
RBH has promised that affected tenants will be guaranteed compensation and rehousing priority for a like-for-like home. Those who wish to stay in the town centre will be able to do so.
Kingsway Business Park extension
Rochdale’s plan isn’t all based around the town centre. Large employment sites are also a big part of the borough’s future.
None more so than Kingsway Business Park, home to JD Sports, Asda and Eon.
There are currently three schemes underway due to complete in mid-to-late 2019.
These include a 75,000sqft distribution centre and trade counter for kitchen and bedroom manufacturer Trade Mouldings, and a facility of the same size for international logistics company Dachser.
On top of this is the 60,000 square foot ‘Logic at Kingsway’ scheme of 11 small light industrial units, which it plans to let out to businesses from early 2019.
John Searle says it is a ‘reasonably unique’ approach.
Of the units, which range from 3,000 to 15,000 square foot, he said: “Not only will it provide us with a financial return on top of the borrowing costs, but it will also bring in business rates and bring business to the borough – that creates jobs and further investment.”
He added: “The council really needs to be shouting more about Kingsway. It’s doing really well and starting to fill up. In three-to-five years’ time, we could be in a position where it is full,” he said.
Regeneration cabinet member Councillor Blundell says the units are another example of the council ‘going all out’ to make sure the borough gets at least its fair share of the economic pie.
He adds that while some businesses want to buy a plot of land and create a unit to their specifications, others want a ready-built facility – which is what the council is now providing.
He said: “The council is building different types of units to attract those types of businesses. It’s about improving the mix at Kingsway. They are going up and this type of development in the past has filled up quite quickly.”
South Heywood masterplan
Hugely ambitious proposals to transform the face of Heywood were given the go-ahead in 2018.
The scheme includes the creation of a new industrial estate, a new school and 1,000 homes over the course of the following 18 years – although the details of these parts of the plan are yet to be nailed down.
A new 2.2km link road from Junction 19 of the M62 to the industrial parks of Pilsworth Road has full planning permission with construction due to get underway in the autumn.
The bypass will make it far easier for HGV drivers travelling to and from Leeds and other areas to the east of the borough, as well as improving the congestion that has long blighted Heywood’s roads.
However, the plan is by no means popular with everyone, attracting more than 260 letters of objection, from those who opposed the loss of green belt the scheme will involve.
Planning officials say that the benefits the project will bring outweigh the harm to the environment.
The revised Greater Manchester Spatial Framework will finally go out for consultation later this year, and the development will ultimately form part of the ‘Northern Gateway’ into the city region.
John Searle said: “It’s not just about the south Heywood scheme itself, but about how we support and improve the Hareshill Road area.”
Nick Statham, Local Democracy Reporter
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