new report finds that the relocation of Rochdale Interchange played a key role in the regeneration of the town centre, as well as providing a range of benefits to passengers.
The £12m project created a high-quality facility in the town centre, while also freeing up land at the former bus station site for the Rochdale Riverside retail and leisure development. A second phase of regeneration – known as ‘Upper Banks’ – includes a Hampton by Hilton hotel and high quality town centre apartments.
The evaluation report by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) finds that without the new Interchange, which opened in 2013, it would not have been possible to deliver the near-complete £250m town centre masterplan, as there would not be sufficient land for the proposed development.
Stakeholders and businesses in the town centre acknowledged the importance of these developments in stimulating economic growth and regeneration.
The new Interchange is viewed as a vast improvement on the previous facility, offering a prominent modern gateway to the town centre.
Delivering a step change in the overall quality of the facilities and waiting environment has seen overall satisfaction among passengers double.
There has also been a dramatic increase in people’s feelings of safety when it is dark – rising from 45% of users feeling safe at the previous facility to 93% of users at the new interchange.
The Interchange also provided a blueprint for future interchange projects including the new facility at Stockport that opened last year. Bury Interchange is also being redeveloped as part of plans to create Greater Manchester’s first operationally carbon-neutral transport hub, with design work underway after the Government approved the business case earlier this year.
Councillor Danny Meredith, cabinet member for regeneration and housing at Rochdale Borough Council, said:
“The new interchange is a major part of the wider regeneration of Rochdale town centre and was a catalyst for the huge amount of investment this area has enjoyed in recent years, which has transformed it beyond all recognition.
“Rochdale’s excellent connectivity, not just in the town centre, but across the borough, is one of the many things that makes it an attractive place to live. Having first class transport facilities like the interchange make it easier for people to use public transport to get about.”
Reflecting on the changes in Rochdale town centre since the new interchange opened, Paul Ambrose, Manager of Rochdale BID, said:
“The Interchange has made a huge difference to residents, visitors and the business community.
“It is a first class facility that is safe and welcoming, and sits impressively alongside key town centre regeneration schemes, which include Number One Riverside ,the multi-use public building, the Rochdale Riverside leisure and retail scheme, and Upper Banks, which comprises the Hampton by Hilton Hotel and 242 apartments.
“Taken together, these projects, have significantly increased the number of people living and working in the town centre, as well as the number of visitors to Rochdale.”
