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Funding boost for regeneration plans

Date published: 03 September 2010

A new deal has given a major boost to plans to regenerate Rochdale Town Centre.

Rochdale Borough Council’s preferred development partner Genr8 Developments has agreed terms with Kajima Partnerships Ltd who are to be engaged as the scheme’s funding partner.

The partnership will now move forward with its development scheme which is part of a £250 million investment in the Town Centre.

Genr8 now intends to commence works on its Outline Planning Application for the town centre development – which is set to feature a new department store, numerous new retail outlets and a hotel.

A period of public consultation will follow and the final plans are due to be submitted to the council in 2011.

Council Leader Councillor Irene Davidson said: “This is another important milestone for Rochdale town centre, with construction of the Sixth Form College complete, the building of the new civic offices underway and the Metrolink due to arrive in the town. We very much welcome the funding partnership and we look forward to working with Genr8 to progress a scheme through to planning application stage.”

Deputy Council Leader Councillor Ashley Dearnley said the news has put the regeneration of the town centre in the best position to progress: “This is a real opportunity for Rochdale, and another important part of the transformation of our town, bringing new jobs and opportunities. I welcome this huge investment which will take the town forward.”

John Hudson, Chief Executive of Rochdale Development Agency, said: “We regard this as another positive step forward for our development plans in Rochdale town centre. The association between Genr8 and Kajima Partnerships is expected to further strengthen the public and private partnership we have already established with Genr8, bringing additional expertise and resources.”

Kajima Partnerships Ltd is the UK subsidiary of the Japanese-based Kajima Corporation and has agreed terms to become Genr8’s funding partner for the project.

Mike Smith, Partner of Genr8 Developments, said: “We have been looking to work with Kajima for some time and it was really a question of finding the right project on which to collaborate. We believe that our respective skills are ideally suited to the Rochdale town centre regeneration and the partnership will now be working hard to bring our proposals to fruition.”

Kajima Partnerships has invested more than £500 million in projects in the UK over the last 10 years.

Julian Rudd-Jones, Managing Director of Kajima Partnerships, said: “Kajima Partnerships has a long and successful track record of investing and developing in real estates in partnership with the private and public sectors. We look forward to working in Rochdale with our partners and clients to revitalise the town centre.”

Comments

I always shudder when I hear the words 'public consultation'.

At long last something appears to be happening... in 2011.
We should all congratulate RMBC's vain last second attempts to do cheap cosmetic job, sprucing up the edges of Broadfiled Park and slapping a bit of black paint on the railings.
A cynic might think this is because they've been shamed into activity to spruce up Tumbleweed Street (aka Drake St), for the TV cameras covering the cycle event, afraid their long term neglect be exposed?

Being listed on the Japaneese Tokyo Stock Exchange. Can Rochdale's citizens all hope/expect that being accredited under ISO9001 [Quality Management], ISO14001[Environmental Management], and ISO 18001 [Health & Safetey Management], that this company will clearly have done the requires Environmental Impact Assesment for this project? Nothing like keeping it local too, eh, RMBC!

Readers might also pray fervently, like I do, that this is not the same Kajima cited in the LA Daily News, June 28 1999, article: "$20 million blunder as methane warning were repeatedly ignored". And finally who's doing the soil washing on the new Black Box site? That's the funny smell near the bus station, go and have a sniff folks - not Kajima I hope?

Try searching Kajima folks, see first 'blood, bribes and brutality or see' million dollar school that may never open', and there's others online too, a $200M methane scandal to name but one in the States. This surely cannot be the same major Japanese construction company that RMBC have agreed the £250M regeneration deal with is it? Even RMBC couldn't be so totally inept, coulld they?

So what are the terms made on the ratepayers' behalf? Since Genr8 have previously been unable to attract any funding for this project, are ratepayers now left with the loan sharks? Is this the same Kajima whose housing project in Leeds was declared unfit for human habitation?

Yes Kevin, but it was called Kajima Europe, still same mega corporation. In 2000, 46 Leeds tenants were forced to vacate a building which was declared unfit for human habitation and "liable to collapse in a strong wind"; the company cited flaws in construction and design. Which compared to their usual "no comment" speaks volumes! Just when we thought this bungled regeneration saga couldn't get any murkier. Has RMBC entered some sort of incompetence competition? They're lights years ahead if so.