Plans submitted for mixed use scheme to bring new jobs, homes and improved infrastructure to South Heywood

Russell Homes has formally submitted a planning application to Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council to bring new jobs, homes and improved highways infrastructure to the southern part of the borough.

The key part of the 20-year South Heywood masterplan is a new £20m, 2.2km link road from Junction 19 of the M62 motorway to the employment areas off Pilsworth Road.

An infrastructure priority for both the local council and Transport for Greater Manchester (TFGM), the link road would provide HGV traffic from the South Heywood employment area with a dedicated route to the motorway, 17km shorter than the existing return journey.

The link road would also direct HGVs away from Heywood Town Centre, Birch and other local roads.

The other part of the application is the development of new employment, residential, ancillary retail, and community uses – a new primary school, playing fields, parks and open space – across the 130-hectare site.

This includes 1.45million sq ft of commercial space, and up to 1,000 new homes, with the potential to create more than 2,850 new jobs. It is estimated that the development would generate £175m a year within the local economy.

The hybrid application, which seeks ‘full’ planning permission for the link road and ‘outline’ planning permission for the subsequent mixed-use development, will now be considered by the planning department.

The new link road would be part-funded by grants from Transport for Greater Manchester and Highways England, with the shortfall met by Russell Homes through the release of the proposed housing.

A decision is anticipated within the next nine to 12 months, allowing work on the road begin by 2019.

Daniel Kershaw, Russell Homes director, said: “The South Heywood masterplan is an ambitious long-term development that will support and significantly enhance economic opportunities in the borough and benefit the local area greatly, providing high quality family homes, jobs and community facilities.

“There is a real opportunity to improve the economic standing of the borough and its profile as a place to do business, building on the already successful industrial and logistics parks at South Heywood. There is a clear requirement from businesses to expand and locate here, and the borough is fast running out of suitable employment space of the type that we are offering.

“The critical mass of the development, its supporting community facilities, and the thoughtfulness of the masterplan, allows new family housing to come forward. This is something which is lacking across parts of the borough, and will broaden the ability to retain the most skilled local people.

“While the existing logistics parks of South Heywood are strategically placed for the local motorway network, connectivity to the network is poor, resulting in long journeys or inappropriate routing of HGVs through the town. The new link road would provide a direct route to junction 19 of the M62, to the benefit of businesses and local people.”

Daniel Kershaw added: “As a housebuilder we know how important it is to create attractive and sustainable communities that people want to choose to make their home. With this masterplan, we are also outlining the jobs, community facilities and wider infrastructure which together will make this a truly sustainable development where local people will live and work over the next two decades and beyond.”