New council building name approved

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Rochdale Municipal Office under development - February 2012

Councillors have agreed that Rochdale’s new municipal office will be called ‘Number One Riverside.’

The decision was made at a meeting of the Rochdale Township Committee on Wednesday night.

Alternatives were put forward by councillors, Councillor Shah Wazir suggested the building be named after Sir Cyril Smith but this didn’t get backed by other councillors.

Councillor Ann Metcalfe questioned why the building was going to be ‘Number One Riverside’ and proposed that it just be called ‘Riverside’, however, when it came to the vote ‘Number One Riverside’ gained the majority of votes.

The building, on Smith Street, is due to be completed in December, it will house council staff and staff from other partner organisations as well as being home to the library and a customer service point.

Council chiefs said that the name should be one that would not date, not be too long, not be too narrow or literal and support future marketing opportunities.

It was decided that the name be chosen because it ‘reflects the geography of the area’ and is a ‘neutral name.’