Social impact developer CAPITAL&CENTRIC is set to redevelop the former Central Retail Park site in Rochdale into a thriving new community.
As featured on BBC2’s Manctopia: Billion Pound Property Boom, the brownfield site will be the first in the UK to deliver CAPITAL&CENTRIC’s new housing concept ‘Neighbourhood’, which is in partnership with Rochdale Borough Council and Rochdale Development Agency.
Neighbourhood Rochdale will include over 200 suburban homes for rent, including a mix of modern, spacious and low carbon homes. Designed by shedkm to be a sustainable exemplar, it will also include a linear park, running track, gym and community hub alongside community space such as café-bars and delis.
The site – which has been vacant for nearly a decade and was previously occupied by Wynsors, Focus and MFI – is a short walk from both the train station, which offers an easy commute into Manchester city centre, and Rochdale town centre.
The plans are part of the transformation of Rochdale town centre, which is in the middle of a £400m regeneration programme.
Councillor John Blundell – Cabinet member for Regeneration, Business, Skills and Employment at Rochdale Borough Council, board member at the Rochdale Development Agency, and chair of the Rochdale Stations Alliance – said: “With millions already invested into Rochdale town centre, we’ve set the bar very high in terms of want to achieve here and this type of high quality housing is the perfect fit.
“To see the first large scheme come forward from Rochdale’s Rail Corridor strategy is a major milestone and shows the commitment to the strategy.
“The work we’re doing to create a high quality retail and leisure offer and a reimagined public realm, makes Rochdale a really attractive place to live and I know that these will be the first of many new homes to be built in Rochdale.”
Adam Higgins – co-founder of CAPITAL&CENTRIC – said: “Many Greater Manchester towns have been hit hard by the declining high street but there’s a huge opportunity for places like Rochdale to reinvent themselves with town centre living. The council have a really ambitious vision to transform the town centre and we’re working with them to create an aspirational community with super energy efficient homes, game changing architecture and all the amenities that will attract people to town centre living.”
Designed to breathe life back into struggling town centres, the Neighbourhood concept could be rolled out by CAPITAL&CENTRIC across the UK.
It aims to reinvent suburban living by designing homes and communities that suit how people live today.
Using modern methods of construction and with open-plan, design-led homes that maximise the use of space, Neighbourhood is a challenge to generic, out-dated housing types that focuses on curating mixed communities for people of all ages.
It goes beyond thinking just about housing, and includes workspaces, community hubs and amenities.
Adam Higgins continued: “Neighbourhood is our way of bridging the gap between urban and suburban living. An antidote to poor quality, out-dated and uninspiring housing types, it recognises that people want to live in communities not just homes, so in Rochdale, we’re planning plenty of green space, a community hub and café-bar.
With easy links into Manchester and a proper mix of homes, we see it appealing just as much to young professionals as downsizers ands it’ll also be pretty unique in that it’s suburban homes but all of them will be for rent.”
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A planning application for Neighbourhood Rochdale is expected early next year.
It will be built by leading construction company Willmott Dixon – who recently completed the £80 million retail and leisure development nearby at Rochdale Riverside – and the site investigation works have started on site this week.
You can find more information via the CAPITAL&CENTRIC website here.
Property
Petition launched to rebuild Hotspur Press in its ‘original form’ following devastating fire
Emily Sergeant
A petition has been launched to rebuild the Hotspur Press building in its ‘original form’ following the devastating fire last week.
In case you missed it, one of Manchester’s most historic landmarks has been left a shell of its former self after a huge fire erupted at the now-derelict Hotspur Press, which is on Cambridge Street beside Oxford Road train station, last Monday (23 June), destroying the iconic building that stood standing for more than 200 years.
It was subsequently declared a ‘major incident’ by authorities.
Thick black smoke clouds could be seen for miles over the city centre from around 4:30pm onwards and into the evening, as fire crews worked to extinguish the blaze.
BREAKING 🚨 Huge fire in Manchester city centre right now – historic Hotspur Press is ablaze with major disruption to trains out of Oxford Road #manchester#mcrpic.twitter.com/SnA52oiqxm
At the height of the blaze, two aerial units and more than 100 firefighters were working at the scene in warm and humid conditions.
But for the past couple of years now, before the building went up in flames, Hotspur Press was at the centre of redevelopment controversy, where planning permission was being sought to transform the building into high-rise student accommodation – and it’s these proposals that prompted the petition calling for an authentic rebuild to be set up.
That and the fact that it was announced towards the end of last week that Hotspur Press was to be part-demolished.
A petition has been launched to rebuild Hotspur Press in its ‘original form’ following the devastating fire / Credit: The Manc Group | Jonathan Boswell (Submitted)
Already racking up more than 400 signatures and counting, the petition calls for the historic building to be restored ‘faithfully and fully’.
“The recent fire has robbed Manchester of one of its most iconic and historic buildings, a cornerstone of the city’s skyline and industrial heritage,” the petition reads. “Hotspur Press was not just bricks and mortar, it was a living reminder of the city’s printing legacy, a symbol of Manchester’s character and soul.
“What we don’t need is another anonymous block of luxury flats that serve investors over residents.
“We are tired of seeing our history erased for profit. We demand that what is rebuilt reflects the identity, memory, and voice of the people who actually live here.”
The petition concluded: “Buildings like Hotspur Press carry the stories of the people who built this city – and they deserve more than neglect, fire, or demolition. Let this be the turning point. Rebuild Hotspur Press, and set a precedent for putting people, history, and place before profit.”
If you’re in support, you can find out more and sign the petition here.
Featured Image – Jonathan Boswell (Submitted)
Property
The award-winning Manchester development offering renters up to £3.4k off – plus top amenities, a golf simulator, and more
The Manc
There’s a seriously exciting new neighbourhood taking shape right on the edge of Manchester city centre – and if you move fast, you could land a swanky new apartment and save thousands on rent.
This is Cortland at Colliers Yard, located just minutes from Deansgate and Spinningfields.
The impressive new rental community is dishing out some massive summer savings, including up to £2,500 off a 12-month lease or £3,420 off select three-bedroom apartments, if you move in before 31 July.
And residents at this new neighbourhood are promised a lifestyle that’s more akin to a private members’ club than a standard city apartment block.
For residents, that means terraces with skyline views; 25,000 sq ft of amenity space (yes, that does make it one of the biggest in the UK); and co-working lounges, boardrooms, private dining rooms and a Club Lounge – to name just a few.
There’s also a fitness centre that rivals actual gyms, kitted out with squat racks, ski ergs, full calisthenics rigs, a pilates and yoga studio, a spin room – you name it, you can work out in it.
Then there’s the games room, where you can play pool or shuffleboard, take on retro arcade games, or practice your swing in a golf simulator room.
Residents also benefit from a 24/7 concierge and an onsite maintenance team, so whether you need a parcel collected or something fixed, there’s always someone there.
The gymAmenities at Cortland by Colliers YardOne of the apartmentsPrivate dining roomCortland at Colliers Yard is offering a month’s free rent if you move in by 31 July
And it’s not just the facilities turning heads – Cortland recently won the 2025 Kingsley Excellence Award for Resident Satisfaction, so you know you’re getting more than just good looks.
The apartments at Cortland by Colliers Yard themselves are design-led and absolutely gorgeous, packed with natural light and high-spec finishes. AND they’re even pet-friendly, so your four-legged mate is welcome too.
In total, there are 559 new apartments, penthouses and exclusive townhouses to choose from of varying sizes, including one, two, and three-bedroom apartments, three-bedroom duplex penthouses, and two and three-bedroom high-level apartments.
And it’s in a prime location. Cortland sits in the heart of Colliers Yard, a growing community on the Manchester/Salford border with half-acre public park (Greengate Park) and a line-up of food and drink spots.
First up: Kallos, a Greek-inspired all-day restaurant with wine and flatbreads.
With the city expanding ever upwards and outwards, developments like Cortland at Colliers Yard are keeping residents and locals at the forefront, building vital new green spaces and factoring in space for local businesses too.
If you’re looking for more than just a place to live – something with real lifestyle built in – this could be the move.
Move in by 31 July to get up to one month’s rent free. Find out more HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
10th September 2020 
