Improving the borough

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Improving the borough

The council is working hard to make Rochdale town centre a better place for shoppers, visitors and businesses. We're in the middle of a £250 million regeneration programme that has already brought improvements like a new transport interchange, the Number One Riverside building and the award-winning Revealing the Roch project.

One of the final projects will be the completion of the new Rochdale Riverside retail and leisure complex, which will contain new Marks and Spencer and Next stores, as well as a 6-screen cinema operated by Reel.

The borough has benefitted from unprecedented levels of investment in recent years, with money from the council, private sector and organisations like the Heritage Lottery Fund and Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) helping to improve a number of areas.

In Middleton our Townscape Heritage Initiative has seen the restoration of a number of buildings created by the late Arts and Crafts architect Edgar Wood, while the planned redevelopment of Warwick Mill is expected to bring £50 million into the local economy.

What we've done

Picture of the River Roch.

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 Centre 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’ Museum with a £2.3 million extension.
£21 million Rochdale sixth form college rated outstanding in its most recent Ofsted report.
Refurbishing Hopwood Hall 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.

What we're doing

Cocka Doodle Moo restaurant with staff outside

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

Rochdale Riverside 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 centre 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.

What's next

Artist impression of Rochdale town centre redevelopment.

Future plans for improving the borough of Rochdale include:

World famous dinosaur visit – the Natural History Museum’s Diplodocus dinosaur cast, Dippy, is heading to Number One Riverside as part of a national tour, with Rochdale its only North West stop.

New market for Rochdale town centre, next to our newly re-opened river on the Butts, with an adjoining indoor facility in the former Santander unit. Managed by specialists Quarterbridge, it will feature a wider range of stalls, with a focus on high quality products and fresh food. Expected to open in late 2018.
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.

In this section

River Roch - uncovered with its historic bridge as part of a wider £250 million regeneration programme.
Number One Riverside - award-winning library, customer service centre and council and partner offices.
Rochdale Development Agency - helping you find the best property and location for your business, plus expert one-to-one advice.
Kingsway Business Park - £315 million business-focused, mixed-use development park of 170 hectares (420 acres) adjacent to the M62 at Junction 21.
Rochdale town centre webcam - overlooks the area for the proposed Rochdale Riverside development.
Development maps - showing plans for developments around the borough.

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