Residents give views on town centre plans

Date published: 06/12/2006

Hundreds of local people have been giving their opinions on how they want to see Rochdale Town Centre transformed.

A report about a consultation on ideas to revitalise the town’s core will go before the Council’s Town Centre Committee on Monday 11 December.  The proposals, being jointly developed by the Rochdale Development Agency and Rochdale Council, include an expected £100 million investment to provide better transport links, a new bus station, modern shops, offices and housing as well as new civic facilities.

The results of the consultation, which was launched in October, show that residents are keen to see improvements to the town centre. People visiting the centre said that cleanliness and maintenance were most important (90.7%) followed closely by the range and quality of shops currently on offer (84.7%).  

The improvements people would most like to see include a new, improved riverside with walks, public spaces and cafes (69.9%) followed by high quality shops (67.5%) and better amenities such as restaurants (64.4%).

More than 40% of people wanted to see a new department store and 33% felt that an enclosed shopping centre was also a priority.  Eighteen per cent of people said new apartments in the heart of the town centre were important with 13.4% referencing modern offices. 

Participants were also asked about options to improve access in and around the town centre and felt a new bus station directly linked to the proposed Metrolink was most important (74.6%) followed by greater priority to pedestrians (62.9%).  It was also reported that a new bus station and better lit parking for cars would help increase safety.  

Discussions with local groups revealed that pedestrian walkways between the transport interchange and the new and existing shops and services was a key priority.

Councillor Alan Taylor, Leader of Rochdale Council and Chair of the Rochdale Town Centre Committee, said: "It is vital that local people are at the heart of proposals to create a revitalised town centre which is suited to the needs of the borough’s residents. Through this consultation it is clear that residents whole heartedly want to see the centre improved and that we are on the right track with the suggestions put forward so far."

John Hudson, Chief Executive of Rochdale Development Agency, added: "It is an exciting time for Rochdale with significant investment coming into the borough. We want to reassure residents that there will be many more opportunities to get involved in these proposals to create a vastly improved town centre.  The ideas are not set in stone at this stage and further consultation will take place in summer 2007." 

A brief will be sent to prospective developers in the New Year, which will include the results of the consultation. Once a shortlist of interested developers has been selected they will work on detailed proposals for the town centre. A second round of public consultation will be launched in summer 2007 using those detailed proposals, prior to selecting a preferred developer.