New signage puts business back on the map

The council has erected signage at Sudden Village after local businesses claimed roadworks had cut them off the map.

The new sign has been put up on Old Manchester Road, near Lancashire Wallpaper, that reads: “Sudden Village, shops and businesses” because the new development, filling up the roundabouts and changing to a traffic light system, made the village less accessible to customers.

Rochdale Online contacted Paul Rowen MP about the issue and the sign was put up on 28 January.

George Shepherd, from Lancashire Wallpaper said: “The roadworks literally cut us off and made us harder to get to, which could have badly affected our trade.

“The sign is very small but it can be seen from the junction and guides people in, which is what we wanted.

“I’m grateful to Paul Rowen for sorting this out, although the council showed quite a disregard for local businesses when all this initially happened. But thankfully it is all sorted now”.

Rochdale MP Paul Rowen said: “I spoke to the Council’s Chief Executive Roger Ellis about this issue and I am delighted that the Council decided to take such swift action.

"I know that this signage was something that many local businesses were asking for and I have a lot of correspondence with them over the last few weeks."