Council agrees Upperbanks deal with property management company

Rochdale Borough Council has entered into an agreement with a leading property company to manage the rental of a brand new apartment complex which was recently completed in Rochdale town centre.

Manchester-based urbanbubble has been taken on to let and manage the 242 apartments, which are part of the £60m Upperbanks development. The move means that the apartments, which are a mixture of studio, one- and two-beds, will hit the rental market within days.

The development is the only high-quality private rental accommodation of this size and scale in the borough, which includes communal areas, a concierge service and landscaped gardens. It sits alongside a 146-room Hampton by Hilton Hotel, which opened in September this year.

The apartments had been set to be bought by a different Manchester-based operator – Livingway – after Rochdale Borough Council said the company had agreed to buy the apartments.

However, the deal – understood to have still been under negotiations when the council said Upperbanks had been bought – collapsed in November, with the council then deciding to retain the complex.
 

Read more: Livingway backs out of Upperbanks dealPublished: 16 November 2023

The development is steps away from the Rochdale Riverside retail and leisure complex in Rochdale town centre, which opened in 2020 as part of a wider £400m regeneration programme. It is also close to the Metrolink network and Rochdale train station, which operates six trains an hour into Manchester.

Councillor Danny Meredith, cabinet member for regeneration and housing said: “These fantastic apartments offer something brand new for Rochdale and demonstrate the really high quality of developments which are being delivered as part of our regeneration programme.

“A thriving borough needs a mix of different types of housing to cater for different people and lifestyles and these homes are a really important part of that wider offer.

“I’m delighted urbanbubble is now on board. The apartments not only look fantastic, but they’re right in the heart of our newly regenerated Rochdale town centre, which has a great retail and leisure offer, as well as fantastic transport links.

“I’m confident that they’ll prove popular.”

 

 

Michael Howard, managing director and owner of urbanbubble, said: “The Upperbanks scheme has created high quality build to rent accommodation in the heart of Rochdale, which easily compares to the best on offer in Manchester, but at more accessible prices.

“This fantastic development really adds something new to the market here, creating even more choice for people looking to make Rochdale their home or for those who already live here and want something a bit different.

“We will be marketing these properties very soon and we expect levels of interest to be high.”

The apartments are expected to appear on Rightmove in the coming days and the urbanbubble team have plans to create an Upperbanks website in the new year, which will contain more information on the apartments and how people can find out more and register their interest.