New Town Centre Committee meets for the first time

Date published: 19 June 2006

Rochdale's new Town Centre Committee meets for the first time tonight (Monday 19 June), with a brief to guide and shape proposals that will transform the town centre.

The Committee's focus is very much on making sure that things happen.

Amongst the developments already planned are a new bus station, significant new shopping, commercial and leisure uses and a new office headquarters for the Impact Partnership. Together, the changes that will take place will bolster the town centre making it a vibrant hub for the Borough.

Committee Chairman, and Leader of the Council, Councillor Alan Taylor said: "This is an important step forward in the regeneration of the town centre. We have a huge opportunity to change the centre and make it somewhere many more people wish to visit and spend time."

We have the chance to deliver a scheme that compliments the existing shops, brings a better variety of uses into the centre and enhances how the town looks. This is an exciting time for Rochdale and this Committee will ensure that the right decisions are made at the right time."

Amongst the subjects to be discussed, the Committee will consider a report on the recently-undertaken Retail Potential study. This demonstrates that whilst Rochdale is underperforming compared to some neighbouring towns, there is great scope for new retailers to come to the centre.

The new Committee has been created to oversee a dramatic improvement in the quality of Rochdale's retail offer as well as other aspects of a successful town centre. The aim is to provide shops of a size and layout which are not currently provided and there is already interest from several major national retailers.

Also on the agenda will be the development of a strategy for car parking across Rochdale town centre to ensure that this supports the regeneration process. Seeking to provide an appropriate level of parking for shoppers, visitors and workers it also encourages a reduced reliance on the car and promotes greater use of more sustainable transport.

Later this year, local people, businesses and other town centre visitors will have the chance to make their views known and assist in developing the proposals. Councillor Taylor invited everyone to get involved.

The new Committee will meet regularly and will consider various aspects of the regeneration proposals for the town centre. The need for improvements in the wider town centre will not be neglected but the early and major focus will be on the area around the existing bus station. This is linked to the creation of a new bus station on the Electric House site. The clearance and remediation of this site is expected to start over the summer.

John Hudson, Chief Executive of Rochdale Development Agency said: "The creation of a new bus station is the key to making the development potential of the town centre and we are very close to now securing that move."

"We look forward to working with the new Committee on these major regeneration proposals for Rochdale Town Centre. If we get this right there will be huge benefits for the whole Borough. We are now looking towards the selection of a private sector partner who shares our aspirations later in the year.