Gas holders at former Rochdale Gasworks to be dismantled

Rochdale Gasworks in 1946

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Work is to start on removing the gas holders at the former Rochdale Gasworks close to Rochdale town centre.

The first stage will involve taking down two of the three gas holders. National Grid expects that the first gas holder will be removed by March 2015, and the second by summer 2015. Plans to remove the third gas holder will be firmed up at a later date.

The site and surrounding area has a rich history in securing Rochdale’s gas supply. The gas holders once formed part of the expansive Rochdale Gasworks, opened in 1824 and the catalyst for lighting up the town’s streets with gas lamps.

As demand for gas increased, so too did the site. The two gas holders being dismantled were built in 1949 and 1954 and replaced previous, smaller holders on the site in a bid to cope with anticipated post-war demand.

Today, gas holders are no longer needed due to investments made to improve the national network, meaning gas can be stored in the pipe system or underground. The gas holders in Rochdale have not been used since 2013.

National Grid Land Regeneration Manager, Matthew Pearce, said: “It has been several years since the gas holders were last used and our work is the next step in cleaning up this redundant site. You only have to look at the surrounding area to see how much it has been transformed since the heyday of the Rochdale Gasworks.

“Although there are no specific plans for the site at the moment, we hope that regeneration will breathe new life into the area at some point in the future.

“Our team will aim to carry out the work as quickly and efficiently as we can and we will be sure to update the surrounding community and neighbours throughout the work.”