Search is on for town centre redeveloper

A riverside site has been cleared for the new transport interchange and a new river bank wall has been built. The demolition of the Council offices and bus station shown in the background and relocation to the riverside site will clear space for the £200 million redevelopment.

The selection exercise to find a developer for a £200 million rejuvenation of Rochdale town centre has begun.

The town centre redevelopment will deliver a new retail heart with leisure facilities, offices and homes.

A notice is expected to be placed in the Official Journal of the European Union next month asking for interested companies to come forward for the opportunity. It is intended that three companies will later be shortlisted and Rochdale residents will be consulted on their designs this autumn. Following the public consultation, the developers will have a chance to amend their plans to incorporate feedback.

A final decision is expected to be made by the Town Centre Committee in summer 2010.
In the meantime, work is continuing to get the town centre ready for the new retail developments and in delivering new transport, health and education facilities.

Roger Ellis, Chief Executive of Rochdale Council said: “We held an open day in December and met with a number of interested developers, which gave us confidence in proceeding with a selection exercise. Rochdale is already benefitting from a huge amount of public investment in the town centre that is delivering new transport, education, health and Council office facilities and we believe this up-front commitment will be appealing to potential private investors. All the groundwork is underway to have a comprehensive development site ready for when the retail market recovers.”

The brief has been developed in consultation with the Government’s Homes and Communities Agency, Rochdale Development Agency and commercial property consultants DTZ. It responds to recent caselaw developments since a previous selection exercise in 2008, which was called off due to a challenge following a European test case.

John Hudson, Chief Executive of Rochdale Development Agency said: “The shortlisted developers will have access to all the information gathered through previous consultations and will then take their proposals out to local residents later in the year to gather their views before updating their designs and making their final submissions. Elected members will consider all the details provided then make their final decision next year.”

Progress is being made to create a new site ready for development in 2012. Finance has been secured for a £60 million municipal riverside development which will provide 300,000sq ft of office accommodation for 2,600 Council, NHS and private sector staff along with a new town centre library, training and conference facilities by the end of 2011.

Restaurants and bars will front a new riverside walkway. Work is progressing on a programme of acquisitions to enable the build adjacent to the new transport interchange site on Smith Street. The demolition of the existing council offices (known as the black box) and existing bus station will create space for the proposed town centre retail development.

The site for the new town centre transport interchange has already been cleared. Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE) has formed a professional design team to help bring the £11.5m project to life and local people will be consulted on the designs this year.

Metrolink will arrive into Rochdale train station in 2012 and the new interchange will be designed to accommodate a future extension into the town centre.

Councillor Alan Taylor, Leader of Rochdale Council and Chairman of the Town Centre Committee said: “There is a huge amount of investment going into the wider town centre area including a new sixth form college, primary care one-stop-shop health centres and investment in modern housing through the Housing Market Renewal programme.

“Market research recently carried out by the Council’s commercial advisors and views from potential developers show that by the time we will have the redevelopment site cleared in 2012, we will be in a prime position to attract retailers to the town centre. We believe in a few years’ time Rochdale will offer the right kind of shopping and leisure experience to make local people proud and attract people from outside the Borough.”

Councillor Ashley Dearnley, Vice Chair of the Rochdale Town Centre Committee added: “Residents want to see their town centre improved and whilst this won’t happen over night, we want them to get behind these plans which will result in a much wider choice of shops and a more modern town centre with better parking and leisure facilities from 2012. Developers are telling us they see the potential in Rochdale and are willing to invest £200 million, so we urge local people to get behind the proposals for the future.”