Inner Rochdale - ‘Brighter Futures’
The next step in creating lasting change in Rochdale’s Housing Market Renewal area will focus on parts of Milkstone & Deeplish, the Oldham Road corridor and Canal Basin, known collectively as Inner Rochdale.
Rochdale Development Agency, on behalf of Rochdale Council is preparing a long-term strategy for the area. The aim is to comprehensively regenerate the area over the next 10 to 15 years and create a better place for people to live and work and creating a wider choice of homes.
Local residents and businesses were consulted in spring of this year, and a brief summary of the results has been delivered to homes across the neighbourhood.
Attracting a private sector development partner to find opportunities to provide new housing and complementary developments will help to resolve some of the underlying social, economic and environmental problems in the area to create a sustainable mixed community.
Small terrace housing dominates this area of Rochdale. Though there isn’t a lack of demand, much of the housing is of low value, sometimes unfit, defective or overcrowded. A large number of businesses and employment uses often sit inappropriately close to homes throughout Inner Rochdale. Some building and parts of the area are poor quality and there is a lack of open space. All of this means that some areas of Inner Rochdale have a run down appearance which raises community concerns about safety.
Nevertheless, these are strong, closely-knit communities creating demand for homes that is not being met, as few residents move out of the area. Low incomes mean that residents can’t invest in improving their properties. A sizeable number of people live in overcrowded, poor quality homes.
Rochdale Canal and the presence of the canal basin at the edge of the area provide opportunities for waterfront housing. New, high quality homes must be an important feature of the area’s future, possibly using what are current or former industrial or commercial premises.
There is a strong desire to tackle these problems and improve the image of the area. Public sector money alone cannot deliver the change that is needed, so it is proposed to create the right type of conditions and opportunities to attract a suitable development partner who can help in delivering the type of changes needed over the long term.
Securing a private developer would also help make the most of the area’s strengths including its closeness to Rochdale Town Centre, Railway Station, Kingsway Business Park and to the new Metrolink, providing a fast link between Inner Rochdale and Manchester by 2011.
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