‘Forgotten high street’ may be set for a £1.5m revival
New heritage status could bring vital cash
ROCHDALE town centre’s ‘forgotten high street’ could be in line for a major facelift.
About £1.5m could be plunged into revitalising some of the most historic and prominent buildings on Drake Street, once Rochdale’s most popular shopping destination,
For much of the 20th Century Drake Street thronged with shoppers and was home to a number of popular department stores and boutiques.
But in recent years it has fallen on hard times, with many shops moving to Yorkshire Street at the other end of the town centre.
However council chiefs hope that could change after Rochdale was announced as one of just eight ‘Heritage Action Zones’ across the country.
It could mean the town is in line for a £500,000 Historic England grant, backed up by £1m of council money.
The cash would be used to give facelifts to some of Drake Street’s most prominent buildings, including the old Fashion Corner department store and the former Rochdale Observer offices.
Catherine Dewar, planning director for Historic England in the North West, said: “Rochdale has so much to be proud of, from its co-operative heritage to its town hall.
“However, some of its historic buildings are showing signs of neglect, but with a little investment and imagination they can become assets for the people of Rochdale to enjoy and for the town’s economy.
“We are looking forward to working with Rochdale council to increase awareness of what Rochdale has to offer and to make it easy for investors and developers to bring jobs, homes and visitors here.”
The HAZ will also cover the town centre conservation area, with the aim being to take the town centre off Historic England’s ‘at risk’ register by bringing some of its key historic buildings back to life.
Specialists from Historic England will now work with the council to draw up proposals for the area, with the money only set to be granted if the action plan is approved by Historic England.
If approved the Heritage Action Zone will be launched in May 2018 and run for five years
Coun Janet Emsley, cabinet member for neighbourhoods, community and culture at Rochdale council, said: “Drake Street is full of fantastic historic buildings, a number of which have a co-operative connection that has been lost.
“Unfortunately, despite it being a really important gateway into the town centre, it has lost its way in recent years, as the retail core has moved.
“That’s why the support that Historic England has announced today is so important. It’s the first step towards the revival of this incredibly important area. With stage one Heritage Lottery funding already approved for the new Greater Manchester Fire Service Museum in Maclure Road and other fantastic assets like Town Hall Square also in the Heritage Action Zone, this is an opportunity to build on work we’ve already started in these areas and create a fantastic link between these important heritage assets.”
Rochdale town centre is only the second place in the North West to be made a HAZ, after Appleby in Cumbria.