Renowned architect joins Housing Market Renewal board

Ian Simpson joins Housing Market Renewal board

The architect responsible for some of the North West’s most iconic buildings, Ian Simpson, has joined the board of the Oldham Rochdale Housing Market Renewal Pathfinder.

Mr Simpson, who grew up in Heywood, Rochdale, hopes his passion for good design and knowledge of the area will benefit the Pathfinder as it increases the choice of housing on offer in both boroughs.

Well known for designing the impressive Hilton Tower on Manchester’s Deansgate, Mr Simpson has also won awards for work on the Manchester Museum and Urbis. He is a founding partner of Ian Simpson Architects, which launched in 1987 and now employs over 100 people.

Mr Simpson is currently in his fourth year of service on the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment Design Review Panel and has lectured extensively nationally and internationally.

He said: “I’m involved in regenerating cities and urban areas so the issue of housing renewal near where I grew up is of great interest. I’m passionate about improving the quality of what’s on offer and want to share advice on good design and architecture. The Pathfinder is working closely with developers and striving to provide quality by setting high benchmarks, so there’s a lot of synergy.”

Mr Simpson believes that the new housing being planned for the area (around 2,500 homes over the next three years) will increase choice and encourage areas to be more sustainable.

He added: “The legacy I see the Pathfinder leaving behind raises the bar in terms of quality and will create real homes and real communities, places where people will want to live and move back to.”

The Oldham Rochdale HMR Pathfinder, one of twelve such schemes in the UK, has invested more than £78 million in areas suffering from deep-rooted problems and lower house prices. It has given developers the confidence to invest in areas that have been starved of private investment over many decades – with £24 million earmarked for 2007/2008 as a direct result of the Pathfinder. The increased choice is encouraging people to stay in their communities and help them prosper rather than leaving in search of better modern homes elsewhere.

The Pathfinder has set high standards for partner developers ensuring that all new homes are built to a minimum Eco-homes very good rating and also Building for Life silver award. It is also ensuring that new developments offer a range of sizes and affordable options to buy, rent or part-own.

Two Rochdale developments recently received national Housing Design Awards. The awards were in recognition of the quality of the plans for new housing at the Trafalgar Street site in Wardleworth and the former Dale and Arkwright Mills in Hamer. Both schemes beat off competition from many leading architects and developers in the category of projects that had detailed planning consent but were not yet completed. 

The Pathfinder was also recently named as one of the top 25 organisations engaged in regeneration in the country by national development journal Regenerate.

Alastair Graham, Director of the Oldham Rochdale HMR Pathfinder, welcomed Mr Simpson’s appointment to the board, adding: “We have already been recognised nationally for the design of new developments and Ian brings a huge amount of experience and enthusiasm to make sure we keep raising standards. Perceptions of neighbourhoods are improving as a result of new housing, refurbishments, environmental work and engaging community projects, and with 2,500 new homes in the pipe-line, we are confident that we can make a real and lasting difference.”