The borough’s new shopping and leisure development will be called ‘Rochdale Riverside’, the scheme’s developers have revealed.
The name is linked to the development’s planned location close to the River Roch in the heart of Rochdale town centre.
The move is a step forward for the project, which is a major part of Rochdale Borough Council’s unprecedented £250m town centre regeneration programme. It follows the announcement late last year that British retails giants M&S and Next had signed legal agreements to occupy prime 50,000 sq ft and 22,000 sq ft units in the new development.
Rochdale Riverside will comprise around 25 retail and lesiure units, a six-screen cinema and 350-space car park. A detailed planning application is set to be submitted this summer and a public consultation will take place beforehand to give residents a chance to view the plans in detail.
Steve Rumbelow, Chief Executive of Rochdale Borough Council, said: “We’re working really hard to create a vibrant town centre in Rochdale and it has already changed beyond all recognition in the last five years.
“This fantastic new development will complete this transformation programme and bring the kind of shops and restaurants that our residents and visitors really want to see in Rochdale. We’ve made great progress so far and are looking forward to making more announcements about Rochdale Riverside in the next few weeks.”
The council’s Rochdale Development Agency is also pressing ahead with the final stage of its demolition programme to clear the area, which covers the site of the old bus station and municipal offices, as well as Telegraph House.
The demolition of Telegraph House is due to start in the summer, once the building’s last remaining tenant has relocated to the post office building on The Esplanade, following a refit which is planned to start next month.
Rochdale Riverside is part of the council’s regeneration programme, which has seen the town centre benefit from unprecedented levels of investment since 2010.
Developments which have been built as part of this programme include the new bus station, the new council building, customer service centre and central library and the new leisure centre in Entwisle Road. Another major town centre regeneration programme, the reopening of the River Roch, will be complete next month.
The project is being delivered by the Genr8 Developments and Kajima Partnerships in partnership with Rochdale Borough Council. The retail agent is Cheetham and Mortimer, Manchester.
27 Apr 2016