250 potential jobs lost as bakery firm snubs Kingsway

Reporter: Jan Harwood
Date online: 13 October 2009

A bakery firm based in Oxfordshire has chosen Newton Heath as the preferred location for its northern base, snubbing Rochdale's Kingsway Business Park.

Sources close to the Kingsway development say that Fine Lady Bakeries, based in Oxfordshire, were in advanced talks about moving onto the Rochdale business park but made a late decision to move to Newton Heath.

The development at Kingsway would have seen Fine Lady build a £20 million bakery, which would eventually have brought 250 jobs to the town; now that development, and the jobs that would have come with it, are going to Newton Heath, with the firm having submitted planning permission for its preferred site.

A spokesperson for Fine Lady Bakeries refused to confirm whether or not the firm had been close to a move onto Kingsway, saying: "We looked at a number of sites in the area, came up with a shortlist and Newton Heath was the preferred option."

Leader of Rochdale Council Alan Taylor said: "We are obviously very disappointed after the months of hard work that Council Officers, Rochdale Development Agency and the North West Development Agency have put into trying to bring over 250 new jobs to our borough.”

Paul Rowen MP said: "This is a hammer blow for Rochdale. I will continue to work hard with the Council to generate jobs and prosperity for our town.”

Labour Group Leader Councillor Colin Lambert was scathing, he said: "Who knew that the company were not coming to Kingsway and when did they know it. And just who is T Phillips who hides behind the name Northern Lad on the Rochdale Online forum? He disclosed online on 29 September at 9.59pm that the company had been looking at East Manchester and went on to suggest that the company may chose that site not Kingsway.

"Maybe a freedom of information request to disclose the full details of these negotiations will prove the shoddy way both RMBC and RDA have dealt with this.

"I believe the decision had already been made and that the person who did leak the hidden agenda of RMBC and others to encourage lower wages locally should still be proud of what they did in bringing this to the attention of local people.

"The company quote: 'the site [east Manchester] offers excellent transport links and could be a long term investment'. So tell the truth, what did this authority not offer, that was available in East Manchester and for once in your life stop hiding behind lies and spin.

"Clearly if the planning application has now been submitted, then the decision was not taken today but some time ago."

The Kingsway Partnership referred enquiries to their marketing consultants IPB Communications who refused to comment and referred enquires to Rochdale Council media department.