Major redevelopment plans across Greater Manchester include the transformation of a former police headquarters into a housing project and a new sports complex for Rochdale AFC.
The former GMP headquarters at Chester House in Trafford has been demolished. The site has been empty since Greater Manchester Police relocated to Newton Heath in 2012. It is now earmarked for around 1,250 homes, a 55-bed hotel, a new public park, shops and a café. Official plans are expected to be submitted soon by developers.
Bowlee sports complex proposed
On the edge of the Rochdale and Bury border, a massive sports complex has been proposed at the Bowlee site. It is expected to host Rochdale AFC's training ground and serve as a community hub for local sports clubs. The 10.7-hectare site is already home to the Bowlee Community Hub, but new plans would replace it with a brand new pavilion, new sports pitches, a play area and a 50-space car park.
The complex on Heywood Old Road would also become the new training facility for Rochdale AFC, who have recently been promoted to League 2 of the English Football League. The club would get a clubhouse as their base opposite the new pavilion. The revamped community building would include a community room with a kitchen, a fitness suite, four team changing rooms, and two smaller changing rooms for match officials.
Bolton and Bury plans
In Bolton, a pub could be converted into a 12-bedroom HMO just months after its closure. The two-storey Royal Hotel is at the junction of Vernon Street and Davenport Street. The pub has been closed since March this year, with former operators saying it was no longer viable. Planning papers submitted by applicant A Ilyas, based in Oldham, described the building as a 'local landmark'.
Also in Bolton, plans for a new restaurant on Mayor Street, next to Queens Park, are set to be considered. The three-storey building was completed in 2024. The application, in the name of Shahid Mahmood, requests a change of use for the ground floor from retail to restaurant.
In Bury, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has unveiled plans to create new homes on land between the interchange and Bury Market. The scheme could see between 70 and 80 apartments built across an up to six-storey block. TfGM is now looking for a partner to help bring its vision to life.
Other developments
In Manchester, campaigners from the Ryebank Fields Community Group believe their planning application for the land will be put before councillors for a vote on September 24. Their proposal asks for the land to stay as a community woodland and meadow, going against a separate plan by Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) and housing developers Step Places and the Southway Housing Trust to build 120 homes.
In Salford, new CGI mock-ups of the revamp of Walkden Station have been released after nearly 'a decade worth of planning'. Funding for the project was first awarded in 2019, but progress has been hampered by the pandemic and the discovery that the station sits in a 'high risk' former mining area. Tommy Fleming, sponsor at Network Rail, explained that engineers will need to drill into the ground to determine how to lay the foundation.
In Stockport, more than 3,000 new homes could be built alongside new warehouses, including on the green belt, if plans are given the go ahead. Because it failed to meet government targets, Stockport Council has been told it needs to add a 20% buffer on land given over to housing. Residential applications must also now be decided with a presumption in favour of approval.
In Trafford, demolition of the former Greater Manchester Police headquarters in Old Trafford is now complete. The nine-acre site will be given a new lease of life through the housing project. A planning application for the redevelopment was previously expected this summer, but town hall bosses now advise it will come in the autumn.
