Rochdale town centre has undergone major changes over the past decade, with the arrival of the Rochdale Riverside leisure development in 2020 creating a new high street on the site of the old bus station and council HQ. The area, once dominated by cars on a complex road network, is now almost entirely pedestrianised.
A new council headquarters, Number One Riverside, and a transport interchange now sit opposite the Riverside retail complex. The interchange, which welcomes buses and trams, is partially powered by green hydroelectric energy from the River Roch flowing beneath. The tree-lined Riverside Centre features modern retail chains, a Reel Cinema, restaurants and an M&S.
Historic Yorkshire Street overshadowed
Yorkshire Street, however, remains the town's main high street, having served as a 16th-century wool-trading route before becoming a commercial centre in the Victorian era. The new Riverside development has hidden Yorkshire Street away, with the natural flow of the centre taking visitors through the Riverside complex onto Baillie Street towards the Grade-I listed Rochdale Town Hall.
Those who wander up one of the cut-throughs onto Yorkshire Street find a standard former mill town high street with budget bakeries, charity shops and other bric-a-brac shops. The number of shuttered, closed-down units is noticeable, with the empty Wheatsheaf Centre being the most obvious sign of decay. The 168,000 sq ft shopping centre, which opened in the 90s, is now earmarked for demolition to make way for 443 new homes, a mix of apartments and townhouses.
Locals share their views
Peter Craven, 73, who grew up in Heywood and has come into Rochdale for decades, described a steady decline. He said: "I've noticed Yorkshire Street is dying with shops closing and vape shops and hairdressers opening. I feel it's being left to rot."
He added: "Yorkshire Street was iconic, it was the main route to Leeds. The White Lion pub has a big bay window so punters could see the carriages go past. This street is steeped in Rochdale history. But everything changed when the supermarkets came - they killed everything."
Anthony Hirst, 64, from Manchester, a regular in Rochdale for years, feels the new Riverside style is the future. He said: "I think they've tried copying Manchester. This is like a poor man's Market Street. I mainly come here, not Yorkshire Street, and get something to eat. I don't see any need to go there, I don't even know what shops there are."
He added: "This is their Market Street now and that's it. You've got the library and bus station here, it's all quite hip. The old bus station was a dump. They used to have all these different shops on the high street. Then the shopping malls came and the hypermarkets killed off the high street."
Future plans for the town centre
Baillie Street, which connects the new development to the historic area, is rife with independent shops, bars and restaurants, with murals and a rainbow staircase towards Yorkshire Street. The route leads towards Rochdale Bridge, over the River Roch, to the town hall, set against the Broadfield Slopes with the medieval St Chad's church on top.
Council chiefs and locals believe the historic heart of Rochdale still has something to offer, with residential developments coming forward for Yorkshire Street in recent years. Regeneration bosses are looking to harness the street's past to carve out its future.
A spokesman for Rochdale Borough Council said: "In common with towns all over the country, the nature of Rochdale's high street and town centre offer has shifted in recent times, as consumer habits have changed. Rochdale town centre has dramatically changed in recent years, with substantial investment creating a new and enhanced shopping and leisure experience, better transport infrastructure and a significantly improved heritage, culture and events offer, which has boosted visitor numbers and the local economy. But the regeneration of this area is very much ongoing."
The spokesman added: "We are working with partners to create a new Rochdale town centre framework, which will outline what the next phase of this regeneration strategy could look like. We have already secured funding to get this work under way and have identified some themes we would like to explore, including heritage infrastructure, more town centre living, the early evening economy and high-quality public realm to build on the recent investment in these areas. We are in the early stages of this work and a public engagement exercise on the framework is expected to take place early next year."
Until a clear plan is set out, Rochdale will remain a town centre with two high streets - one thriving and the other just about surviving.
