Storage World Middleton launches £12m rebirth bid

Replacing the town centre facility destroyed by fire last summer, the 100,000 sq ft project will also include flexible commercial space, in the first major plans to be submitted as the Rochdale town’s Mayoral Development Corporation comes together.

Working with P4 Planning, applicant Storage World proposes a modern four-storey block including 9,000 sq ft of use class E units fronting Assheton Way, which could support retail, office co-working or other commercial uses.

This will create a fresh, active frontage opposite Middleton Arena. The project team said that the proposals will create a vibrant mixed-use development, safeguard land for any future extension to Middleton Arena and help unlock future residential regeneration opportunities.

Along with P4, the project team includes Bate & Taylor Architects, project manager Beaumont Lord, transport advisor Axis, Arbtech, Iceni, Civic Heritage, GeoAssist, energycounsel and Racefield Consulting.

Storage World, with the backing of Rochdale Development Agency, had supported hundreds of local businesses since opening in 2016, with 74 businesses operating from the premises by the time of the fire, many of them using it as their primary base.

Taking account of the Mayoral Development Corporation’s desire to see affordable housing built in Middleton town centre, the scheme – described as the first privately-funded scheme to come forward since Middleton’s MDC came into being – has been designed with a footprint that will facilitate potential development across the balance of the Old Hall Street site.

Paul Fahey, director of Storage World, said: “Submitting this planning application marks a hugely important milestone, not only for Storage World but for Middleton as a whole.

“This is about far more than replacing a building. It’s about investing in Middleton’s future, and I thank the officers at Rochdale Council and Development Agency for their extensive engagement and support over the last nine months during the evolution of the design.

“Our proposals will deliver a modern new Storage World facility alongside new commercial space that will help bring activity back to this part of the town centre. We believe the development can play an important role in the wider regeneration of Middleton and demonstrate confidence in the town’s future, at an important time as the Middleton Mayoral Development Corporation takes shape.”

The Fahey family has operated storage businesses in Manchester for 70 years, broadening into self-storage across Greater Manchester and beyond. Total private investment for the scheme comes to around £12m, with a £10m construction value and £2m for land acquisition. The site as a whole now comes to around two acres, with the Storage World development inked in to take up half of that space.