Heritage Action Zone Grant

About the Heritage Action Zone Grant

Funding was available to go towards repairing certain historic properties in Rochdale town centre. This funding was called the 'Heritage Action Zone Grant'.

The Heritage Action Zone Grant scheme is now closed for new applications.

What are Heritage Action Zones?

Heritage Action Zones are areas of historic interest that have been selected by Historic England for targeted regeneration. They've created these zones to help encourage economic growth in historic places.

In addition to the grant scheme, the Heritage Action Zone programme includes events and an engagement plan.

Why we need a Heritage Action Zone

We hope the Heritage Action Zone will help restore and put back into use historic buildings along Drake Street. Our vision is to transform this failing retail-dominated street into a vibrant area of mixed-use developments, including offices and apartments.

More than 30 buildings along Drake Street are either locally or nationally listed. The buildings vary in style and show impressive examples of Georgian, Victorian and early 20th-century architecture. A large proportion of these buildings, however, are in poor condition and are either vacant or don't have sustainable use.

Until the early 1980s, Drake Street was Rochdale's premier place to shop. The area originally developed as a commercial, cultural, social and civic focal point of the town with strong connections to the Co-operative Movement. However, a series of local and national influences have affected the area and led to a decline in the street.

An old photograph of Rochdale Town Hall.

Work taking place

The following projects are already taking place as part of the Heritage Action Zone grant.

  • Improving properties on South Parade and Lower Drake Street - this involves creating more traditional style shop fronts to better reflect the age of the buildings, some of which date back to the early 19th century. Other work taking place includes repairs to the roofs and original sash windows. Heritage building techniques and materials will be used wherever possible, with Welsh slate being used on the roofs, along with cast iron drain pipes.
  • Converting historic properties on Church Lane - a former solicitors office at 19-21 Church Lane has already been converted into apartments for rent, which are now fully occupied. We are hoping to create a similar housing scheme in the grade II listed property next door, which is the former Deaf and Dumb Institute, and slightly further up the road at number 25 Church Lane. 
  • Redeveloping Waterside House - this building, which was recently awarded grade II listed status, dates back to 1820. The former mill, which overlooks the River Roch in Water Street, was one of the first in Rochdale to convert from water to steam power. We’re engaging with the owner to support the renovation of the building into residential use.

Heritage Action Zone related content