Rochdale council bids for £40m in ‘levelling up’ funds to boost regeneration in town centres

Rochdale council is to make two separate bids for £20m in ‘levelling up’ monies for projects in Rochdale and Heywood and Middleton respectively.

The applications will be made to the government by midday tomorrow (Wednesday) after bosses signed off on the proposals at the latest cabinet meeting.

The government’s much-vaunted ‘levelling up’ agenda aims to narrow regional inequalities and bring prosperity to ‘left behind’ areas in the north and midlands. 

Council bosses say successful bids would support the delivery of some of the authority’s ‘key regeneration priorities’  – including in Heywood and Middleton town centres and the area around Rochdale railway station.

Councillor John Blundell, cabinet member for economy and regeneration said the council was ‘excited’ to be submitting the bids, which would advance a ‘major milestone’ in the Rochdale rail corridor strategy and help to ‘showcase’ what the towns of Heywood and Middleton have to offer.

The Rochdale bid 

The council-owned Central Retail Park site presents a ‘major opportunity’ to support the ongoing regeneration of Rochdale town centre, according to official papers.

Bosses want to deliver a ‘high quality’ residential-led scheme that would accelerate its plans to transform the area around the railway station and ‘maintain the momentum’ of town centre regeneration.

The authority had previously been working with developer Capital and Centric on a 200-home development dubbed ‘Neighbourhood Rochdale’ – but the Manchester-based firm has now stepped away from the project.

Now the council, together with Rochdale Development Agency and contractor Wilmott Dixon, wants to develop the six-acre site – between Oldham Road and Drake Street – into ‘a new community’ of 81 townhouses and 143 apartments.

Given the working title of  ‘the Corner Plot project’, it aims to ‘create aspirational apartment living’ in a place that has ‘a distinct, vibrant, and authentic identity’.

Ambitious plans for a new public square in front of Rochdale train station are also part of the funding bid.

The creation of new homes and business space, alongside a 500 space park and ride facility on Miall Street, are also proposed as part of the wider redevelopment of the area.

This project aims to create an improved gateway into the town centre –  removing traffic to give greater priority to pedestrians and cyclists – and a new community that ‘has a distinct, vibrant, and authentic identity’.

Heywood and Middleton

This bid proposes enhancements to Heywood Civic Centre and Middleton Arena in order to improve the towns’ ‘evening leisure and cultural offer’ and ‘drive footfall to support existing and attract new businesses’.

Plans for Heywood include improving the road layout in the town centre to boost public transport and walking routes.

Nearly £700,000 in Arts Council funding has been secured for improvements to Heywood Civic centre – but a  successful Levelling Up Fund bid would boost those plans, and enable further enhancements to the environment.

The bid also features improved parking and public areas to support new homes within the town centre.  

It is also proposed to create a new walking and cycling link to join up the cultural assets of the Civic Centre and East Lancashire Railway. 

In Middleton the bid will focus on the arena, including refurbishing the theatre so it can be used as an occasional cinema, increasing the gym and community space and improving the food and drink on offer.

The area around the arena would also be improved to create a more attractive environment.

“In both cases these will promote increased footfall and vibrancy within both centres, support work already underway,” the report adds.

Councillor Blundell said the residential development in Rochdale would be the ‘flagship scheme’ of the rail corridor strategy, while there would also be ‘huge investment’ in the station square, describing it as ‘a major milestone in that strategy’s realisation’.

“It shows that the council is committed to building on sustainable locations and brownfield sites,” added Coun Blundell.

The economy chief said he was also keen to ‘expand the cultural offer’ in Heywood and Middleton.

“The two towns have a proud history and a very different culture to parts of Rochdale,” he continued.

“Having investment in those two buildings will showcase what these towns have to offer.”

Coun Blundell had previously locked horns with Heywood and Middleton MP Chris Clarkson claiming he was not cooperating with the council about developing schemes- something he strenuously denied.

However, tensions between the Conservative parliamentarian and the Labour council appear to have eased.

“We are glad Chris Clarkson is now working with us and helping fund the schemes the Labour party had in its manifesto,” said Coun Blundell.

“We believe working collaboratively for the public good is the best route forward.”

Bids must be submitted by noon on Wednesday (July 6). 

All applications have to be based upon existing projects under development and have a degree of project planning already completed, where the council or partners have control of land or other assets.

Critically, councils must be able to demonstrate they will spend some of the money in this financial year.

The first stage is a pass/fail ‘gateway’, where bids will be assessed against whether they can deliver some expenditure in 2022/2023.

Bids that fail to meet this criteria will not be assessed further and will not be eligible to be considered for funding in this round.

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