Rochdale 'Riviera' project wins Heritage Lottery Fund support

Photo: Carter

The River Roch in the town centre in 1903

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‘Restoring the Roch: Rediscovering Rochdale’s medieval bridge’ project has won initial support* from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), it was announced today.

The £1.2million bid was for the restoration of Rochdale’s historic bridge and the natural habitat of the River Roch through The Butts in the centre of Rochdale.

Crucial to the bid were plans to enable local people to get involved in the project by discovering Rochdale’s hidden history and making their own contribution to Rochdale’s future heritage.

Development funding of £54,200 has been awarded to help progress plans for a more detailed submission (for the full £1.2m) to HLF in December this year.

The river, to which Rochdale owes its name and existence, was once the principal feature of the town centre, but now runs hidden through a culvert creating a hostile environment for wildlife.

The project aims to recreate a natural habitat encouraging wildlife spotted elsewhere on the Roch, such as the dipper, kingfisher, pipistrelle bats, water crowfoot and otters into the town centre.

Essential conservation work will be carried out to the revealed Rochdale Bridge, which has been hidden for over a century.

Research indicates Rochdale Bridge dates back to the thirteenth or early fourteenth century with extensions throughout the centuries as the town grew. This makes the bridge extremely rare. Rochdale Bridge carried a unique record of human activity over seven hundred years shaped by generations of Rochdale people.

As part of the project, a programme of activities will create opportunities for local people to discover past generations’ contributions as well as to record and celebrate the project in their own way.

The HLF bid forms just part of a package to re-open the river through Rochdale town centre. Investigations have been completed to test the stability of the historic bridge, walls and river bed.

The Environment Agency has already committed £500,000 for the scheme. With the stage 1 approval of £1.2million from the HLF, the project is a step closer to turning the plans into a reality. The total cost of the project is expected to cost £4 million.

Explaining the importance of the HLF support, Sara Hilton, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund North West, said: “Rochdale’s exciting plans to re-open the River Roch will not only help reveal the currently hidden history of the bridge and the river, but will also encourage local people to get involved and support the surrounding natural environment.

"Running through the heart of the town, the River Roch has played an important part in Rochdale’s history over the years and this project will ensure that it will again.”

The outcome of the application for a full grant will be known at a later date.

http://www.rochdaleonline.co.uk/news-features/2/news/67800/show-your-support-for-the-rochdale-riviera