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.
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“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.
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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
Greater Manchester town named ‘property hotspot’ after prices jump nearly 10% last year
Emily Sergeant
One Greater Manchester town has been named a ‘property hotspot’ after house prices have increased by nearly 10%.
Every year, leading property listing website, Rightmove, takes a look at all the cities, towns, and residential areas across the UK where house prices saw a significant hike on average last year, and puts together a top 10 list.
The ‘hotspot’ table is made up of a variety of locations where prices rose the most, when compared to the end of the year prior.
Taking the top spot on 2024’s list of property ‘hotspots’ is Sunbury-on-Thames in Surrey, where the average asking price for a home jumped by 12.5% in 2024, compared with the end of 2023, while the runner up has been named as Bristol’s city centre, with average prices rising by 9%.
A Greater Manchester town has been named a ‘property hotspot’ after prices jumped nearly 10% last year / Credit: Pexels
Rounding out the top three, however, is the town of Swinton in Salford, with prices also rising by 9%, on average, in 2024 compared to 2023.
Swinton is becoming increasingly popular with first time buyers and families looking for more space and flexibility, while still being close to Manchester city centre, thanks to the several good local schools and community spaces within walking distance.
Other nearby north west areas in the top 10 for 2024 include Skelmersdale, in Lancashire near the border with Merseyside, and Darwen, also in Lancashire.
Top 10 ‘property hotspots’ for 2024
Sunbury-on-Thames
Bristol city centre
Swinton
Skelmersdale
Gosforth
Swansea
Merthyr Tydfil
Darwen
North Shields
Glenrothes
Overall, the North West was region with the second place highest increase in house prices in 2024 at 3.8%, followed by Wales and beaten only by the North East.
“Despite a slow year for price growth overall, there will always be pockets of Great Britain which perform above the average, and 2024’s list of hotspots is a mixed picture,” commented Rightmove’s Chief Data Officer, Steve Pimblett.
“Agents tell us that good quality homes in popular areas have continued to attract buyer interest, even in the slower periods of the market since mortgage rates went up.
“We predict that this year will be busier for the market in terms of price increases and sales, particularly if mortgage rates reduce.”
Looking ahead to 2025, Rightmove predicts that house prices will rise by 4%, on average, across Great Britain by the end of this year.
Featured Image – Benjamin Elliot (via Unsplash)
Property
A house on Greater Manchester’s most expensive street, with its own football pitch, has gone up for sale
Thomas Melia
A multi million pound mansion has recently gone up for sale in Greater Manchester and it’s even got its own football pitch.
There’s a six bedroom property that has just gone on the market and it’s situated on the region’s most expensive street – Barrow Lane in Hale.
Coming in at a whopping £5,950,000 and spread across four floors, the property nicely titled ‘Green Meadows’ is nestled in the affluent Trafford neighbourhood.
Starting from the (under)ground up, the basement level has everything you could ever wish for. From a private cinema room to your own personal club and bar function room… that’s my Saturday night sorted.
Wicked is going on repeat in here. Just try and stop me!Who needs the club, when the club comes to you? Credit: Rightmove
That’s not all, there’s six more rooms beneath the ground floor such as a store, plant room, recreational area and even a gym with its own sauna and treatment room attached.
As you make your way up the winding staircase to the entrance level, there’s a large reception hall, open plan kitchen, covered terrace and something I never knew I needed until today, a breakfast area.
Up another flight of stairs and onto the first floor where you’re greeted by a galleried landing that leads you off to three separate bedrooms with accompanying en suites.
Each of the six bedrooms in this house has its own en suite meaning you don’t even have to leave the comfort of your own living quarters to spruce yourself up before the start of each day.
Grand bedroom in this Greater Manchester mansion.Imagine a long hot shower in there.Credit: Rightmove
The second and top floor is much similar with the final three bedrooms and a second galleried landing. I’ll have to get looking through my best selfies and see which ones I can frame on all these walls!
However, the top floor is boasting something much more impressive that, a room which many have dreamt of for years and years; a walk in wardrobe.
This gives me even more of an excuse to buy new clothes.Credit: Rightmove
Branded as a ‘Dressing Room’ on the official floor plan for the property, this walk in wardrobe has near enough, floor to ceiling storage and an island unit in the middle for, you guessed it, even more storage.
This mansion’s quarters spans just under one acre of land, 0.73 acres to be exact, and the outside of the house features a grand garden space that’s just as interesting.
As you exit the back of the property, after walking out onto the tiled beginning of the garden, your eyes can’t help but fixate on the almost full scale football pitch dominating the green space.
Alongside the main building, there’s a double garage and behind that you’ll find a mini basketball court, that’ll have you dusting off your Jordans and shooting some hoops in no time.
Now we know not everyone is fortunate enough to afford such grand houses like these, but when it’s online and right in our faces, it’d be rude not to have a nosey, right?
To view the extensive property for yourself including the full floor plan and more pictures, head over to the listing page on Rightmove HERE.
Emily Sergeant -
10th September 2020 
