Rochdale maps out plans for up to 150 homes in central Heywood
A significant residential development is being planned on land south of the A58 that was previously occupied by the Angel Meadows estate.
Rochdale Council and Rochdale Boroughwide Housing are seeking views from the development industry on a masterplan for the Heywood scheme via a soft market testing exercise.
Two potential layouts have been crafted by Buttress Architects. One features 129 homes and the other 151.
The denser of the two options would see the existing road layout retained while the 129-home scheme would see the highway network reconfigured. Both schemes would deliver a mix of houses and apartments.
The site includes land previously occupied by RBH’s Angel Meadows flats, the plot once home to The Heywood pub, and Regent Mill, which is to be knocked down.
Rappor and CBRE are supporting Rochdale Council with the plans.
The aim of the scheme is to “create a new sustainable residential neighbourhood to support the regeneration of Heywood’s town centre, acknowledging forthcoming employment opportunities within Atom Valley and Northern Gateway”, according to tender documents.
The documents add: “This is a future vision for a significant residential offer, which must be deliverable. Rochdale’s ambition is for this strategic priority to be delivered in the short to medium term, to align with the above.”
Cllr Danny Meredith, cabinet member for housing and regeneration at Rochdale Council, said: “This soft market testing exercise is part of the wider regeneration of Heywood, as part of our masterplan. This will see us work with partners to transform brownfield sites around the town centre into new, high-quality affordable homes for local people.
“Over time, we hope to bring forward more than 200 homes close to Heywood town centre, so where we now have empty sites, which are not visually appealing, we will have new homes to help address our housing shortage and lift the whole area. We have already seen considerable regeneration within Heywood town centre and this project will continue this redevelopment and further support local families.”
This would cause more traffic congestion in the centre, would these homes be social homes or private
By Anonymous
I would love to have a council property instead of private renting I’m 64 and worked hard all my life and went back to work after having my children
By Anonymous
This would be a wonderful development.
By Solomon
We need more social housing for those that can’t afford private renting
By Anonymous
Affordable homes dont mean social housing and the councils around the country love to sell off the land to property developer rather than build social housing. I grew up in Heywood but moved to south Manchester for some years and see no prospect of ever being able to move back to my hometown.
By Anonymous
Rochdale council have spoilt Heywood and have been doing so over many years. It used to be a lovely place to live and a close community. Not now
By Anonymous
Will that include any NHS services, GPs, Dentists, Audiologists, physiotherapists, etc. Currently the services do not even cover the existing local population. Appointments require traveling to other towns.
By Anonymous
I just hope they will be a proper mixture of affordable rental housing for locals & not HMO type buildings.
By Janet
It’s all good building new houses but where is the consideration for green spaces on these development sites, communal play areas for the local children, additional doctors, dentist, schools to house the ever growing amount of houses, the existing infrastructure is at its capacity, no one can get in anywhere but Rochdale council keeps authorising more houses being built in Heywood, why? Why can’t the brown spaces be turned into local green areas for existing resident or use some of it for new doctors/dentists or something useful.
By Jo
What about traffic and parking issues? What about employment for residents, there is no employment in Heywood. What about schools for families? What about medical centres for residents? All of these we are extremely short of. Building all these new homes is just bringing extra revenue for Rochdale Council and nothing for the town.
By Anonymous
They need to have off road parking on these houses
By Anonymous