It’s been rumoured for quite some time, but it’s now understood that Amazon is set to be moving to a huge new warehouse space in Rochdale.
While both Rochdale Borough Council and Amazon has declined to comment on the move, according to a “well-placed source” close to the project who informed Local Democracy Reporting Service, the online retail giant will operate from a 206,000 sq ft unit at Kingsway Business Park in the heart of the Greater Manchester borough.
The new distribution centre – which is known as ‘Plot H’, or Kingsway 216 – is based off Junction 21 of the M62 near Milnrow, and was built five years ago as a “speculative development”.
It comes after planning permission was approved at the latest meeting of Rochdale Borough Council’s planning committee for an 11-acre site housing 665 delivery vans required to operate the warehouse at nearby ‘Plot J’, with each space fitted with electric vehicle charging points.
This approved development will also provide a “modest welfare building”, a guard hut, 8m high LED lighting columns, and acoustic fencing.
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The application for the development attracted a total of 32 public objections, with concerns ranging from harm to the appearance of the area, to the loss of space used by dog walkers, horse riders, and more.
Opposition to the scheme was said to be mainly centred on fears over noise and light pollution.
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The online retail giant could operate from a 206,000 sq ft unit at Kingsway Business Park / Credit: DLA Architecture
Strong representations were made when the proposal went before the council’s planning committee on 24 June, but a majority of councillors felt they could not turn down the chance to create hundreds of new jobs and boost the economy.
Councillor Phil Burke, who is vice-chairman of the committee, moved approval on the grounds sufficient mitigation measures had been put in place by the applicant.
Speaking outside of the meeting, he said: “As far as I was concerned, after addressing all the concerns from local residents and putting extra measures in place, I recommended approval as all the concerns had been addressed.
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“650 jobs is a much needed boost to the local economy.”
On opposition to the plans, he added: “While we fully understood the concern from local residents in relation to noise and light pollution, we understand from the developers that they have put the light level down to the lowest it could go to prevent any light escaping from the distribution park,”
The distribution centre was built five years ago as a “speculative development” / Credit: DLA Architecture
He continued: “In relation to the noise, there has now been sufficient tree and scrub planted around the site, with the additional fencing that has been put up which were included in the plans.
“The developer has a good track record with Rochdale Borough Council, having worked with council for over 25 years and I am sure they will be willing to work with local residents to deal with any concerns that may be caused in future.”
Featured Image – Google Maps (2016)
UK News
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has increased his stake in Manchester United
Danny Jones
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has increased his investment in Manchester United Football Club, taking his current stake from 27.7% to 28.94%.
The Failsworth-born billionaire officially became a minority shareholder in Man United earlier this year, bringing in the Sports arm of his INEOS petrochemical company and plenty of new personnel with him following an initial £1.25 billion acquisition which saw him buy over a quarter of the club.
While his tenure at Old Trafford has been a somewhat turbulent affair so far – having pleased most fans by taking at least some control away from the family but making a number of less-than-popular decisions of late – he is, at the very least, putting lots of money where his mouth is.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe has injected a further $100m into Manchester United and now owns 28.94% of the club. This completes a planned $300m investment pledged at the time of purchase. $200m was paid back then out of Ratcliffe’s personal funds.
As per multiple outlets, the 72-year-old has pumped a further of approximately £79.3m into Man United to increase his overall stake just before the end of the year.
This latest figure payment was actually promised as part of his initial partial takeover which was completed back in February, with a filing listed by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) confirming the final payment this week, with Ratcliffe receiving additional shares in return.
It also detailed that the ownership of the shares has transferred from Ratcliffe personally to the INEOS Group as a whole, who also have stakes in French football club OGC Nice, the INEOS Grenaiders cycling team (formerly Team Sky), as well as Formula 1, sailing, rugby and more.
Although supporters will be pleased to hear that Ratcliffe is committed to investing in the club, Keegan’s article details that the money itself won’t be strictly put towards any potential signings in the upcoming transfer window.
Similarly, Press Associates (PA) understand that the funds will be put towards infrastructure rather than player recruitment, as it is also expected that some squad members could be offloaded this January.
Could Man United’s homegrown number 10 really be on his way out after nearly two decades in red?
News of Ratcliffe increasing his United stake won’t do much for many of his early detractors, however, as the Greater Manchester local has been accused of ‘forgetting his roots’ and ‘betraying the working class’ with some recent internal steps.
Most recently, Sir Jim and his newly rebuilt executive board received immense backlash for increasing ticket prices for remaining games this season to a whopping £66 across the board, with no concessions made for young, old or disabled fans.
With sporting director Dan Ashworth having been dismissed after just five months – a man who spent just as much time on gardening leave at his former club as he did in his actual role at United – it’s fair to say Ratcliffe and co. could have been more economical.
Manchester locals appealing for more information over a month after from finding family member’s body
Danny Jones
A Greater Manchester family are still calling for more information now over a month on from the discovery of a man’s body at his Chorlton home.
William Riddell, 49, was found dead in the bedroom of a property on Astbury Avenue at approximately 11:35pm on Sunday, 10 November after being found by his stepdaughter, Sarah Hayden.
Details surrounding his passing are still scarce but a 47-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder but has since been released on bail “pending further enquiries”, leaving Sarah and the rest of her family still none the wiser as to the exact nature of his death.
Preparing to spend their first Christmas without him, they have issued a desperate appeal for more information, urging anyone who might have information to come forward.
#APPEAL | The family of a man who died last month are appealing to the public for information as they face their first Christmas without him.
Billy Riddell was sadly found dead at his property in Manchester, with enquiries continuing.
Riddell, more commonly known as Billy by those close to him, was described as a “good, caring man with a big heart” and a popular figure in the local area.
Speaking via Greater Manchester Police, Sarah, said: “I want to be Billy’s voice and get answers for him. Billy was a nice and lovely man and all the community knew who he was. He was well-liked and we gave him a good send-off at his funeral.
“I would just ask anyone who knew him or has any information to come forward and tell police. Even if you think it’s a little or small thing – please come forward. We just want to get to the bottom of what has happened.”
Detective Inspector Alex Wilkinson, who serves on GMP‘s Major Incident Team, added in an official statement: “The family of Billy deserve answers following his death and we are working hard to ensure they get exactly that.
“We have closely supported Sarah and the wider family over the last month, and we will continue to provide assistance wherever we can as they face their first Christmas without him.
“While a suspect has been bailed, we are still working flat-out to understand more about Billy’s life, the people he was close to, and events leading up to his death just over a month ago.”
With that in mind, both GMP and Riddell’s family are asking anyone who might know anything or have information regarding people associated with Billy to come forward, reiterating that “even if you consider something to be small – your help could greatly benefit our investigation.”
You can contact police via 101 or by using the live chat function HERE, quoting log 3227 of 10/11/24.
Alternatively, you can contact the UK’s independent charity, Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555 111 or online.
The Manc -
30th June 2021 
