2,000 new homes for town centre
Latest stage in £250m regeneration revealed
ROCHDALE town centre could soon get 2,000 more homes.
The huge housing project will bring old industrial sites back into use – and transform stagnant shopping streets.
It will be the latest element of the plan to revamp the town centre. The Observer understands the proposals will focus redevelopment of brownfield sites in and around the town centre, including Drake Street, which was once Rochdale’s major shopping destination, but has seen a major downturn.
More details will be announced when the ‘residential strategy’ is unveiled in the summer, but it will also include major plans to redevelop the College Bank and Lower Falinge estates on the outskirts of the town centre, and the second phase of the £100m Rochdale Riverside project, which could see scores of flats built around Smith Street, alongside planned new shops, a cinema and restaurants.
It is the latest move in the ongoing £250m redevelopment of the town centre, which in recent years has seen the arrival of Metrolink, a new bus station and the reopening of the River Roch.
Other plans include a new market and food hall on The Butts, the refurbishment of the town hall and the creation a large public square on The Esplanade. As part of the proposals, Rochdale leaders have submitted a bid to Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham’s ‘Town Centres Challenge’ strategy.
It will see one town in the region chosen to be given a new lease of life with a wave of new housing development, businesses and cultural attractions.
Mr Burnham visited Rochdale as part of the bid. Speaking at the town hall, he said given its excellent transport links to Manchester and relatively low house prices, Rochdale could attract young professionals looking to get on the housing ladder.
He added: “I think Rochdale is in a great position to develop a residential offer in its town centre. The council has already done the hard bit, with all the regeneration that’s already taken place, and there’s clearly already been a lot of thinking here about the civic and cultural space.
“It’s also an area which has great connectivity to the city centre and Metrolink is a huge asset. I have compulsory purchase order powers, which I can use to support Rochdale.”