Tony Blair has future plans for Rochdale

Date published: 07/02/2005

Rochdale's plans for the future were proudly displayed at the Summit 2005  - a Government Regeneration Conference in Manchester attended by Tony Blair, John Prescott and Charles Clarke, amongst other VIPs. 

The three-day Conference entitled "Delivering Sustainable Communities" attracted interest and thousands of delegates from all over the world, including guest speaker Richard Daley, the Mayor of Chicago and representatives from the European Commission.  Senior Officers from Rochdale Council and partner organisations attended useful seminars and fringe events, which aimed to give new perspectives on building strong communities, boosting the economy, and improving the environment and people's quality of life.

At the heart of the G-Mex Summit was a vibrant exhibition attracting a range of regeneration specialists including companies showing two full-sized examples of affordable and environmentally sound three-bedroomed houses.  On the Rochdale stand entitled "Rochdale Borough Renaissance", delegates were invited to learn more about the many opportunities available within the borough.  Staff were also able to present information on the Borough Masterplan, which sets out an exciting vision of how the Council, working with Rochdale Development Agency and the Economic Partnership amongst others plans to develop the borough over the next ten years.

John Percival, Rochdale Council Special Projects Manager was thrilled with the turnout.  "Delegates seemed surprised to see how much was going on in the town and we have made some excellent contacts who are interested in coming here to see for themselves. I am confident that this has raised our profile significantly and there could be some potential investors amongst the visitors to our stand."