International design competition for the Rochdale 'Riviera' project

What the river feature could look like

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An international design competition for the historic parts of the town centre, focusing in particular on the area around the re-opened River Roch, is to be held.

A design brief has been approved and English Heritage has offered financial support for the competition.

The proposal to re-open the River Roch in Rochdale Town Centre has made significant progress and Rochdale Council Cabinet has agreed to the appointment of a contractor and/or consultants in order to enable the Council to progress its design and second stage bid with the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Earlier this year, development funding of £54,200 was awarded to help progress plans for a more detailed submission for a £1.2m bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund in December this year.

The river, to which Rochdale owes its name and existence, was once the principal feature of the town centre, but now runs hidden through a culvert creating a hostile environment for wildlife.

The project aims to recreate a natural habitat encouraging wildlife spotted elsewhere on the Roch, such as the dipper, kingfisher, pipistrelle bats, water crowfoot and otters into the town centre.

Essential conservation work will be carried out to the revealed Rochdale Bridge, which has been hidden for over a century.

Research indicates Rochdale Bridge dates back to the thirteenth or early fourteenth century with extensions throughout the centuries as the town grew. This makes the bridge extremely rare. Rochdale Bridge carried a unique record of human activity over seven hundred years shaped by generations of Rochdale people.

As part of the project, a programme of activities will create opportunities for local people to discover past generations’ contributions as well as to record and celebrate the project in their own way.