The green light has officially been given for a major new high-tech innovation hub in Manchester that’s set to bring thousands of new jobs and low carbon homes to the region.
Atom Valley has the potential to deliver around 20,000 high-quality jobs, 1.6 million sq m of employment floorspace, and 7,000 new low carbon homes, according to GMCA.
With the aim of “driving innovation in the housing market” and supporting the region’s ambitions to be net zero by 2028, Atom Valley is set to create a “hub for innovation” in advanced materials, manufacturing, and green technologies.
GMCA says there’ll also be world-leading facilities and opportunities for local residents to access good jobs, training, and skills.
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An artist’s impression image of what the Advanced Machinery and Productivity Institute at Atom Valley in Rochdale could look like / Credit: Rochdale Council
Leaders in Greater Manchester explained that the decision to designate Atom Valley as an MDZ means that work between public and private sector partners and national agencies can be “better aligned” as part of a coordinated strategy for “guiding development” and “unlocking investment”.
Atom Valley MDZ will cover the Northern Gateway in Bury and Rochdale, the Kingsway Business Park in Rochdale, and Stakehill in Rochdale and Oldham.
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It’s tipped to “transform economic growth” and industrial innovation in Greater Manchester.
Atom Valley tipped to “transform economic growth” and industrial innovation in Greater Manchester / Credit: Google Maps
It’s one of six priority growth locations identified as part of the Greater Manchester Strategy – with the aim of delivering a greener, fairer, more prosperous city-region.
“The decision is a green light for our plans to transform the economy of our city-region and rebalance the scales of growth and opportunity,” explained Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham.
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“Our priority has always been to deliver inclusive growth that benefits all of our people and places, [and] Atom Valley will offer world-class facilities for research and innovation, powering the skills and jobs needed to drive a new industrial revolution in advanced manufacturing and green technologies.
🗣️ “Today’s decision is a green light for our plans to transform the economy of our city-region and rebalance the scales of growth and opportunity."
⚛️ Earlier today leaders approved plans for Atom Valley, a major new hub for growth and innovation.
— Mayor of Greater Manchester (@MayorofGM) July 29, 2022
“It will also be the catalyst for revitalising town centres in the north east of the city-region, with new transport links integrated into our Bee Network – and as part of this we’re looking at all options to deliver Metrolink right into the centre of Middleton.
“While the future of the national levelling up agenda hangs in the balance, we’re getting on with our vision for a Greater Manchester that delivers good jobs, good homes, and better opportunities for everyone.”
New £60m fund launched to fill potholes across Greater Manchester
Emily Sergeant
A new £60 million Pothole Fund has been created to repair more of the city region’s roads and pavements.
The fund – which has been set up by new Mayor Bev Craig, and is to be spent across every borough in Greater Manchester – is set to be a ‘major boost’ to efforts to tackle the pothole problem, as it will be enough to repair and maintain over a million square metres, or around 125 kilometres, of road across the wider region.
Around 2.5 billion trips are made on Greater Manchester‘s roads every year – not only by motorists, but also by buses, trams, cyclists, and pedestrians. So the fund will be used to help keep the highways network ‘safe and reliable’.
The fund will enable transport teams to repair hotspots where surfaces are in poor condition, as well as resurface roads and pavements to prevent them from deteriorating in the first place.
A new £60m fund has been launched to fill potholes across Greater Manchester / Credit: TfGM
Cold and wet winters, more traffic, and heavier vehicles using the roads are just some of the contributing factors to the pothole problem, which is why the fund is being introduced before autumn and winter properly arrives.
The amount each of the 10 boroughs will receive is based on an agreed funding formula, with the allocations being:
Bolton: £6,552,000
Bury: £4,374,000
Manchester: £8,155,000
Oldham: £5,258,000
Rochdale: £5,243,000
Salford: £5,388,000
Stockport: £6,820,000
Tameside: £4,980,000
Trafford: £4,992,000
Wigan: £8,241,000
The extra cash comes from the region’s transport budget, with leaders agreeing to reallocate funding towards highways maintenance, and it fulfils a commitment Bev made in her Mayoral Manifesto to repair more roads and make sure pavements are safe.
“Keeping our roads and pavements safe and well maintained is essential for a growing city region like Greater Manchester,” explained Mayor Bev Craig.
“That’s why I promised to create this new Pothole Fund that will benefit drivers and everyone who uses our roads to get around. Properly maintaining our roads will save motorists money on costly repairs, and by preventing potholes forming in the first place, councils won’t have to spend as much money on emergency road repairs.
“This issue came up repeatedly on the doorstep during my election campaign so I’m pleased that I can do something about it so quickly, building on the significant work already planned by councils across Greater Manchester.”
Featured Image – TfGM
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Six GMP officers dismissed following racial discrimination allegations
Emily Sergeant
A number of police officers have been dismissed following an internal investigation, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has confirmed.
Following the internal investigation into alleged racial discrimination against an officer on the Bury district – which was launched by GMP‘s Professional Standards Directorate in July 2024 – six officers and two former officers were found to have committed gross misconduct, and a ninth officer was found to have committed misconduct.
The investigation came after a report was made that an officer had been subjected to ‘racist behaviour’ by colleagues in December 2023.
The panel heard how PC Y – who has African heritage and has been granted anonymity – made a complaint after her accent was mimicked by a group of officers. She was also compared to a suspect with similar skin colour, and one of the dismissed PCs made a derogatory comment about her hair.
PC Y was supported and kept updated throughout the investigation, GMP assured, as well as providing evidence at the hearing.
The misconduct hearing lasted just over two weeks, with the panel concluding that the officers breached the Standards of Professional Behaviour relating to Equality and Diversity, Authority, Respect, and Courtesy.
The six officers who have been dismissed are PC Demi Green, PC Heena Rani, PC Lucy Granby, PC Matthew Barlow, PC Matthew Hill, and PC Mohammed Abid, while the former officers who were found to have committed gross misconduct are PC Jake Holt, and former Officer A – who has been granted anonymity.
The panel also found that Sergeant Adrian Bick’s actions amounted to misconduct, as there was no breach of the standard of equality and diversity.
As a result, the six serving officers have been sacked without notice, while the two former officers would have been dismissed had they not already left the force, and Sergeant Bick was issued a written warning.
“No officer or member of staff should have to come to work and experience discriminatory behaviour from the people they serve alongside,” declared Deputy Chief Constable, Terry Woods.
“Everyone has the right to feel respected, valued and part of the same team with a shared commitment to serving our communities and keeping people safe.”
Emily Sergeant -
1st August 2022 
