Rochdale Borough Draft Local Plan Consultation
Chapter 7: A Prosperous Place
The following policies are part of the A Prosperous Place Chapter. All policies within this chapter are provided below and we welome your opinions and comments. Please ensure you comment within the correct text box:
- Policy PR1 - Hierarchy of Centres
- Policy PR2 - Creating Vibrant Main Town Centres
- Policy PR3 - Primary shopping areas in town centres
- Policy PR4 - Local and District Centres and Local Shops
- Policy PR5 - Out of Centre retail and leisure uses
- Policy PR6 - Delivering employment floorspace
- Policy PR7 - Business, industry and warehousing development
- Policy PR8 - Office development
- Policy PR9 - Employment Zones and existing employment sites
- Policy PR10 - Promoting the visitor and rural economy
Once you have completed your response please scroll to the bottom and click continue.
Introduction
A more prosperous local economy, which is diverse, competitive, sustainable and lower carbon, is essential to the success of Rochdale borough. It can help to:
- Create the right environment for more successful and healthier communities;
- Create more attractive town, district and local centres;
- Attract more inward investment;
- Create a greener environment;
- Provide more resources to improve services, facilities and quality of life; and
- Improve the image of the borough as a destination of choice for businesses.
NPPF states that planning policies and decisions should help create the conditions in which businesses can invest to support economic growth and drive innovation. The PfE Plan sets out how this is to be achieved and sets a target for employment floorspace. Within the overall aim to grow the economy is the objective to boost the competitiveness of the north of the conurbation, including Rochdale.
To meet this objective, the PfE Plan allocates two large cross-boundary allocations at Northern Gateway and Stakehill. These allocations, together with Kingsway Business Park, has led to the formal designation of the Atom Valley Mayoral Development Zone (MDZ). This area provides an opportunity to deliver new employment floorspace of a type and scale that is truly transformational for Rochdale and the north of the conurbation as a whole.
The delivery of Sustainable Materials and Manufacturing Centre (SMMC) on Kingsway Business Park has the potential to drive this advanced manufacturing sector and build a world class cluster of advanced materials and manufacturing in Atom Valley.
In addition to the growth of new and existing employment areas, Rochdale’s town centres are focal points for economic growth and prosperity which serve as hubs for commercial, retail, leisure, employment, service, civic and cultural opportunities. They are an important contributor to the boroughs local character and identity.
In recent years several significant challenges to the retail sector have highlighted the vulnerability of our town centres. The opening of Rochdale Riverside in 2020 had broadened the retail and leisure offer in Rochdale town centre but the need to improve the quality and diversity of uses in the rest of Rochdale town centre and our other town centres remains. Masterplans are in place for Heywood, Middleton and Littleborough town centres and the delivery of these will provide significant improvements.
The policies below seek to protect and enhance our centres. The employment policies identify the level of new employment floorspace to be delivered, as set out in PfE, as well as providing guidance for new employment development to ensure that the is high-quality and is supported by appropriate levels of infrastructure to deliver a growing, diverse and sustainable economy.