Historic town centre building could be converted into new flats

An historic town centre building which was once home to Rochdale’s poor relief efforts could be converted into flats.

Town Head House – which dates back to the early 19th century – and its extension would be divided up into 14 one and two-bed apartments under new proposals.

Plans for the Grade II-listed building, in Yorkshire Street, have been lodged with the council by Raj Property Investments Ltd.

Most recently used as council offices, it has stood empty since 2014 when a decision was taken to sell the site off. A residential scheme previously tabled by a different developer failed to come to fruition.

The applicant says the proposal would provide a long term use for the two-storey, ensuring it can be ‘retained and maintained for the future’.

“Residential use is considered the most viable option for the building with an existing demand for housing within the Rochdale borough,” planning papers say.

“The building is in an accessible location to serve the local areas and, having considered office use to be unviable, it is considered that residential use, for which there is a demand, offers the most sustainable long-term use for the building.”

The document adds that the scheme has been ‘designed to have minimal impact on the existing appearance of the building’, with only modest alterations proposed to the outside.

However, an ‘unsightly’ external fire escape considered to have a negative impact on the appearance of the building will be removed. Where windows are to be replaced, these will match either the existing frames or revert to the original sash design.

The layout of the rooms is said to ‘lend itself to residential conversions’ – with only ‘relatively minor’ changes to the main fabric of the building being

“Internally, apartments have been designed to reflect the pattern and form of the existing rooms,” documents say – albeit noting that dividing up larger rooms is ‘inevitable to accommodate the new use’.

“The works have been designed to be sympathetic to the immediate context and existing building,” papers continue.

“The replacement of windows with more sympathetic materials and removal of the existing fire escape helps enhance the building’s appearance and is more sympathetic to its heritage.”

Rochdale council will decide whether to grant planning permission for the scheme.

Nick Statham, Local Democracy Reporting Service