GM green lights plan to level up north-east of city region
Atom Valley, which could see the creation of 17m sq ft of employment space and 7,000 homes, has been endorsed by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.
Representatives of the 10 GM boroughs met last Friday to approve the creation of a mayoral development zone for Atom Valley, a chunk of land stretching along the M62 growth corridor into the boroughs of Rochdale and Bury.
The ambition at Atom Valley is to create a hub for innovation in advanced materials, manufacturing, and green technologies, with world-leading facilities and opportunities for local residents to access good jobs, training, and skills, according to the GMCA.
Atom Valley encompasses three key employment sites: Northern Gateway, Stakehill and Kingsway Business Park.
The latter already features plans for an Advanced Machinery and Productivity Institute.
It is hoped the creation of an MDZ will provide a platform for the public and private sectors to work together to unlock investment and create up to 20,000 jobs.
“[Friday’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,” said Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham.
“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.”
As well as creating jobs, Burnham also said that Atom Valley will be the “catalyst for revitalising town centres in the north east of the city region”.
Bury, Rochdale, Oldham, Middleton, Heywood, Radcliffe and Prestwich are all poised to benefit from the creation of the MDZ through improved transport links, including the extension of the Metrolink network into Middleton town centre.
Following Friday’s approval, an MDZ board will now be created to coordinate the project. The board is to be chaired by economist Paul Ormerod, with representatives from local and national authorities, central government, and the private sector.
Sound like a plan. More investment. Keep it coming!
By John
Does central government ever work with any other metro areas on schemes like this.
By Anonymous
What about Bolton? The Cinderella town of GM.
By Elephant
This sounds like a major investment. Must admit up to now I had never even heard of Atom valley and now I want hear more. This is an ambitious project.
By Dr strangelove
Now this is an exciting vision. Well done Bury, Oldham & Rochdale, I hope they can make this happen!
By Anonymous
Bury and Rochdale will make this happen, they have the ideas and the political will to do it, it is already happening in the Bury to Rochdale corridor and has been for some time, as soon as the M62 and A627M were opened 50 years ago they started to develop alongside them providing housing and employment and that accelerated with the construction of the M66, now it will really take off. Oldham is irrelevant to the scheme, there is only a small part of the proposed Stakehill distribution site extension in Oldham (Chadderton) which is landlocked, and which requires development of a chunk of Rochdale land first to get access, so if it ever happens the Oldham bit is 50 years down the line. Sadly, Oldham’s own plans and ideas are politically constrained, lack reality and are devoid of any vision or ambition.
By More Likely
Great idea but how will people access this scheme without cars? In response to More Likely, there is a biggish scheme going on in the Foxdenton area of Chadderton. I wondered if that was connected to this, as it is a cockstride from the Rochdale border at Middleton Junction ?
By Elephant
A hub for innovation sounds like something we can all get behind. The business hubs across the whole of Manchester have mostly been limited to the city centre , The quays and parts of south Manchester. This will be a great addition.
By Anonymous
In response to Elephant, new railway stations, line extensions and metrolink extensions are part of the proposals for Atom Valley. The scheme at Foxdenton Farm has nothing to do with this, it had been kicked around and sidelined for over 40 years by Oldham Council before finally something happened, it was to be the site of a new ground for Oldham Athletic then that collapsed, even now the scheme is starting to come apart as plans are in to build a supermarket on part of it which Oldham looks likely to pass, then with one passed there will be applications for others and the original idea of an economic powerhouse site will disappear – perfect demonstration of why Oldham is in the backward state it is!
By More Likely
Thank you More Likely. I hear what you say and as an Oldhamer I think the town lacks vision but Bury isn’t anything special, the town centre I’m my view is less attractive than Oldham’s. As for Bolton, that town is a shadow of what it was. I not sure where the money will come from for all these tramlines and stations?
By Elephant