Railway refresh planned in Rochdale
Seed Architects has designed a new entranceway for the 196-year-old railway station at Station Road, part of the borough’s wider plan to revamp the area.
Rochdale Development Agency, a council-controlled company, recruited Seed for the project. Under Seed’s designs, the railway station’s northern entrance will receive a canopy seven metres longer than the current one. The canopy will also have a green roof with plans for the installation of even more plants, different seating, and bike racks.
The canopy itself has been designed to reflect Rochdale’s history, with the wave patterns meant to evoke spinning cotton fibres – a nod to the textile industry that dominated the town. The columns pay homage to the nearby entrance of Rochdale Town Hall.
“The new station forecourt works and canopy represent a step change in the significance of the station within the heart of a regenerating Rochdale town centre,” said Gary Seed, director of Seed Architects.
“This will improve the visual and amenity link between the town centre external works and the station entrance with it’s increased visual presence drawing people to better use the public transport system,” he continued.
“With a green roof covering, this also connects the green space to the south of the station to the north entrance of the station coupled with a sleek modern aesthetic.”
The improved entrance is just one part of Rochdale Council’s plans for the railway station – there is also an ambition to improve the underpass down the line.
Reflecting on the new entranceway plans, Rochdale cabinet member for housing and regeneration Cllr Danny Meredith said: “These proposals will create a real sense of arrival for the many thousands of visitors who travel through this station each and every year.
“It’s a major gateway in and out of the borough and these plans will ensure that its appearance reflects that, as well as introducing green features which will boost biodiversity.”
Meredith added: “Even more importantly, these improvements are part of a much bigger plan to substantially improve this whole area with new, high-quality homes, including social homes, on brownfield sites and a new public square as part of our wider rail strategy to create new homes and commercial and leisure spaces around our key transport hubs.”
The scheme Meredith alluded to is the authority’s Rochdale Rail Corridor Strategy, a masterplan geared towards revitalising the areas around the railway stations in the borough. At Rochdale Station, this includes a new station square to welcome visitors to the area, up to 1,700 homes, more than 40,000 sq ft of commercial space, and 25,000 sq ft of retail offerings.
You can review proposals for the Rochdale Station entranceway by searching reference number 25/00828/FUL on Rochdale Council’s planning portal. Interested in the wider strategy? Use reference 22/01551/FUL.
Looks smart, but not seeing the cotton spinning connection other than it’s white.
By Albert
I think its possibly paying more homage to the J- 327Nubian Royal Starship than I can see in a homage to textiles
By Obi Wan
It’s nice enough as an object but it seems very out of context despite the archi-speak about the textile industry and homage to the town hall.
By The Co-op movement
You might think this is too much but me personally yes revamp the station but I would do something else to bring people back together it might seem to out there but I would close the canal concrete it all and use it as a cycle and walkway get rid of the new cycle ways that have been built eg through castleton which would lead to all the shops open again that have been closed due to a lack of parking castleton is fast becoming a no shop zone all that is left are take aways so get canal concreted from Manchester to Yorkshire and you would get thousands using it good idea or what.
By Andrew
Rochdale station is in need of a complete overhaul, not just a stick on folly. This is the sort of shiny, ‘this will fix everything’, cosmetic nothing project that will age badly and incur unmanageable maintenance costs resulting in its replacement far sooner than anyone involved cares to admit. Any plans for the station should be embedded with the station quarter masterplan (what happened to that?) to ensure we get a cohesive, high quality and contextual proposal – not piecemeal randomness. Those two tier bike racks really complete the vision.
By Rochdale Station user
Can’t help but think that one of the worlds oldest/first railway station deserves something a lot better! The heritage connection is so diluted you’d need a plaque or signage to point it out!
By Cristoforo
Like how they kept all the weds in the CGI. Is this also in keeping with a council strategy for the borough?
Additionally, why no bike lane?
By Anon
Just has the feel of a 2000s-era project. Nostalgia is not always a good thing.
By Rye
And this does what exactly, given it has no impact on the actual train service? Next May’s local elections will tell us how bothered Rochdale voters are by Cllr Meredith giving them a sense of arrival, with added biodiversity (!)
By Sir Francis Drake Street
Will the ticket office still be the wrong side of the ticket barriers?
By Nick Reed
Well it will be good to have a canopy while waiting for the bus replacement service.
By Phil Reed
The design is awful. It will announce itself alright – for all the wrong reasons. There were some interesting plans in place for the wider improvements to the area. I really can’t believe anyone would sign off on this. Should have been an architectural competition and maybe someone competent enough could ahve brought forward something actually to be proud of.
By Rochdale Commuter