Rochdale Borough Council

Working with partners, we've completed a number of projects to improve the lives of residents, business and ​visitors. These include:

• £10.8 million Rochdale Leisure Centr​e built near Rochdale town centre.
• Number One Riverside a new award-winning ​public building which includes a customer service centre, library, coffee shop and offices​​.
• New travel and ​​​​Metrolink facilities​ including a modern bus station and town centre Metrolink stop.
• Re-opening a stretch of the River Roch​​ in the heart of Rochdale town centre,​​ enhancing heritage, attracting wildlife and reducing the risk of flooding.
• Extending Rochdale Pioneers’ Mus​eum​ with a £2.3 million extension.
• £21 million Rochdale sixth form coll​​ege​ rated outstanding by Ofsted.
• Refurbishing​ Hopwood Hal​​​l college​ £7 million  spent on improving catering and beauty facilities and a new salon and restaurant.
• £20 million refurbishment of Rochdale police station.
• 3rd platform at Rochdale railway station, boosting journeys from Rochdale to Manchester from 4 to 6 an hour.
• A new St Andrew's Church on Entwisle ​Road​​​.​​​​​​​​​​​​​
• World famous dinosaur visit – the Natural History Museum’s Diplodocus dinosaur cast, Dippy, was on display at Number One Riverside from 10 February 2020–12 December 2020 as part of a national tour. Rochdale was Dippy's only North West stop and he was seen by almost 120,000 visitors.

​​​​We're working hard to make the area more attractive to residents, business and visitors ​in a number of ways by:

• Rochdale Rive​rs​ide a new 200,000 square foot ​​​retail and leisure centre, with Next, M&S and ​Reel cinemas.
• Reducing business rates in Rochdale, Heywood and Middleton town centres, which has seen vacancy rates in Rochdale town centre ​reduce from 23% to 13%.
• Further promoting the 3 hours FREE parking​ in council owned town centr​e car parks​ to encourage visitors.
• Restoring ​Middleton town centre​​​ historic buildings​​​​​​​​​ as part of a £3 million project.​
• Letting ready-to-go workspaces for business​ with a wide range of complementary support services available on demand.

• Applying for a Heritage Lottery Fund Grant funding for a new Greater Manchester Fire Museum in Maclure Road, renovating the art deco building, trebling its floor space, and introducing interactive displays and new exhibits, a café and dedicated education space.
• Replacing the paving along Lower Yorkshire Street and Baillie Street with traditional natural stone. To make it easier for shoppers to move around the area, the street will be traffic free between 10am and 6pm.
• Restoring the historic wooden setts in King Street by removing damaged setts and ordering new ones to restore this unique area.

​Future plans for improving the borough of Rochdale include:​​

• More rail improvements as part of the multi million pound Northern Hub programme. By 2018, Rochdale will be linked directly to Manchester Piccadilly and Oxford Road, and by 2019, a direct service will run from Rochdale to Manchester Airport.