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'We're wiping away the 70s'

Laura Shannon
15/12/2007

PLANS to transform the town centre have been unveiled. Buildings only 30 years old – including the unpopular Black Box – would be flattened in the £200M development, which planners claim would make Rochdale ‘first class for shoppers’.

Rochdale Development Agency (RDA) is looking to rid the centre of unsophisticated architecture of the last three decades.

RDA chief executive John Hudson said: “We make no apologies for wanting to wipe away what was created in the 1970s.

“The town got it wrong back then and we are trying to remove that.

“Rochdale has the makings of a very attractive public realm and we will make the best out of it.”

Developers battling for the £200M contract are Ask Property Developments with Sultan Properties, Valad Property Group and Wilson Bowden Developments.

All three produced their individual plans that would transform much of Smith Street, John Street and parts of the Wheatsheaf Centre with a larger range of shops, new bars and restaurants, open spaces and  car parking.

They want to create new gateways to the town centre, making all leisure facilities more accessible.

Mr Hudson said: “This is not just about a shopping development and it’s not even a makeover.

“This is about reconstructive surgery and we have to learn lessons from the past 20 years or so about what works and what doesn’t work.

“This is a big, bold move, but there is absolutely no reason why Rochdale should be second class.

“We have a first-class, high-quality scheme to make Rochdale the first choice for shoppers.”

Developers are looking into the possibility of bringing in a top-of-the-range department store like Debenhams and high street chains like Top Shop and Next.

Customers cried out for a choice of shops when the proposals were first announced last year and the developers are promising to deliver.

Speaking after the plans were unveiled on Thursday, council leader Alan Taylor said: “We have three developers with the confidence to make our town centre something special.

“It is so exciting to be almost at a stage where we will select a developer.”

Work is already under way on the proposed site of the new bus station on the west of River Roch. The ground is now being decontaminated.

RDA are waiting for a decision from the Department of Transport approving the relocation of the bus station and are expecting the answer early next year. The proposed Metrolink has also been included in developers’ plans, but is not central to the scheme should the Transport Innovation Fund (TIF) fail to ensure the link runs to the centre from Rochdale train station.

Mr Hudson added: “This is not the X-Factor, it’s not about the most votes winning, but we need people to tell us what they like about the three proposals and what they think could be improved.

“At the end of the day they are potential customers so their opinions must feed into the process.”

If you want to have your say you can see all the plans at 30 Yorkshire Street until next Thursday.

The shop will be open from 10am until 3pm every day, except Sunday.

THE plans from the three potential developers will be on show to the public until Thursday at the former Max Spielmann photography shop at 30 Yorkshire Street. Residents are urged to go and talk to the developers, and leave their comments. The exhibition will then move to the Wheatsheaf Library and people can leave comments until 4 January. A decision is expected to made on the successful developer by March. Each developer also has a video presentation, which you can see by clicking on the 'Related links' to the right of this page. You can also get more information and download a feedback form by clicking onto www.investinrochdale.co.uk.