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Page 2 April 2026 AD SALES 01204 478812 No part of this publication may be used or reproduced without the express permission of the publisher. Every effort is made to ensure that the articles and advertisements that are carried are authentic, however the publisher accepts no responsibility for claims made. © Investors in Publishing Ltd 2026. This newspaper is published monthly by Investors in Publishing, Publishing House, 3 Bridgebank Industrial Estate, Taylor Street, Horwich, Bolton BL6 7PD. Tel. 01204 478812 EDITOR: Ged Henderson ged@hendersonnewsandmedia.com ADVERTISING : JayneMeadowcroft 01204 478812 or 07703 045189 jayne@independentnewspapers.co.uk CLASSIFIEDS : Teresa Bond 01204 478812 teresa@independentnewspapers.co.uk CONTACT US CONTRACTORS have broken ground on 33 new apartments in Rochdale as part of a major regeneration project around the borough’s key trans- port hubs. The 33 new homes, a mixture of 1 and 2-bed- room properties for private rent, are being constructed on the corner of Maclure Road and Sta- tion Road, close to Roch- dale Railway Station. The build, which will be carried out by Stockport-based, Oak Construction Projects, follows the demolition of the building that was pre- viously on the site which housed a furniture shop and supermarket. In addition to the apart- ments, the new devel- opment, which will be six-storeys in height, will feature four commercial units to let on the ground floor. It will all be built to net zero standards. The development has already attracted almost £1million in investment POLICE in Rochdale have seized illicit cig- arettes with a street value of more than £80,000. Greater Manchester Police officers on patrol in the town discovered the haul after seeing two men unloading multiple large boxes from the back of a transit van into the back of a car. They recovered 20 large boxes containing 500 sleeves of counter- feit cigarettes with an estimated street value of £80,250. A man in his 30s was arrested on suspicion of possessing goods bear- ing a false trademark. He has been bailed while enquiries continue. The patrol was part of Operation Tetbury – set up to deal with the issues that affect Rochdale town centre and that matter the most to the commu- nity, such as licencing, trading standards, retail crime, shop standards, anti-social behaviour and drug dealing. THE area of Syke in Rochdale has been granted con- servation area sta- tus in a move which will help protect its unique heritage. The status was granted following a consultation with people living in the area, with more than 85 per cent of locals backing proposals to turn it into a conservation area. Syke has a unique and rich history, being located on a historic packhorse route, which was used to move goods between Lancashire and Chesh- ire before canals and railways were in wide- spread use. The area also contains a number of weavers’ cot- tages, characterised by large numbers of small windows on their upper floors, which allowed in lots of light to enable more working hours in the days before elec- tric lighting. Conservation area status would help pro- tect this unique history by enshrining particular protections within the planning process which would safeguard against unsympathetic develop- ment. It also celebrates and highlights the area as a place of special historic and architec- tural interest. The new conservation area will mainly cover Syke Common, includ- ing historic buildings on Dewhirst Road and Syke Road, and parts of local woodland, which is known as Buckley Wood. Syke is now Rochdale’s 28th conservation area, with others already designated including Manchester Old Road in Middleton, which ROCHDALE is firmly in the national spotlight following a landmark moment for one of its most iconic heritage assets. The multi-million pound restoration of its town hall has been recognised with two prestigious accolades. At the Civic Trust Awards cere- mony, the Town Hall project received the highly coveted Michael Middle- ton Special Award for Excellence in Conservation, alongside a Civic Trust Conservation Award. These honours place Rochdale among the very best in the UK and international built environment sector, reflecting the ambition and care invested in restoring the Grade I listed landmark. The Civic Trust Awards, now in their 67th year, attract entries from across the globe, with more than 300 submissions this year spanning countries including the USA, Canada, India and South Korea. Projects are assessed through a rigorous multi-stage judging process, recognising not only design excellence but also community impact, sustain- ability and long-term value. Against this highly competitive international field, Rochdale Town Hall stood out as a leading example of how heritage can be sensitively reim- agined for modern civic life. POLICE issued a 48-hour disper- sal order across Rochdale town centre following incidents of anti-social behaviour involving young people. Announcing the order, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said groups of young people were reported to be harassing staff and causing criminal damage at a business and in the centre. The order ran from11.30amon April 2 until 11.30am on Easter Saturday. A section 34 disper- sal order allows police officers to exclude a person, or people, from an area for up to 48 hours throughwritten notice. The aim of the notice is to minimise behaviour contribut- ing to, or likely to contribute to anti-social behaviour or crime or disorder in the area. Inspector Meena Yasin, from GMP’s Rochdale district, said: “Wehave implemented this order to provide further powers for officersintheareatorobustlydeal with anti-social behaviour, and to protect people and businesses. “We will not tolerate anti-so- cial behaviour and where this is reported, we will look to take the strongest action – whether through proactive action or pre- ventative problem-solvingwork.” ● Cont frompage one Announcing the competition, the government’s culture secretary Lisa Nandy said: “Great culture is not confined to our largest metropolitan centres; it is everywhere, rooted in communities across the country. But for too long that talent and contribu- tion have gone unrecognised. “Everybody deserves the chance to share their pride in the place they call home and to have access to quality art, music, dance and drama wher- ever they live.” The competition has already attracted widespread interest from towns across the country includ- ing Chorley in Lancashire, Prescot on Merseyside and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole on the south coast, who are considering a joint bid. A cultured approach Town hall’s triumphs Illegal cigarettes seized as crackdown continues Illicit: The haul of cigarettes discovered by police (Photo credit: GMP) Rochdale Neighbour- hood Sergeant Andy Toward said: “Under Operation Tetbury we are committed to improv- ing Rochdale town cen- tre’s commercial district and targeting the trade of illicit tobacco. “The sale of illicit tobacco funds is often used to fund organ- ised crime, while put- ting people’s health at risk through the sale of untested and unreg- ulated goods. It also constitutes defrauding the UK government by evading the payment of excise duty. “By supporting our colleagues in trading standards, six shops responsible for the sale of such goods have been closed in the last 12 months, and we will continue to proactively target those who try and set up shop here in Roch- dale, by utilising a range of multi-agency powers.” Anti-social behaviour sparks police order Protecting unique history Railway plan on track from the Greater Man- chester Combined Author- ity’s (GMCA) brownfield land fund. It is a part of Rochdale’s rail corridor strategy, which seeks to create up to 7,000 new homes and commercial space around the borough’s five rail- way stations. The new homes are also part of a wider redevelopment of the area around Rochdale railway station, which will include a new public square, a new entrance for the station and new park and ride facilities. Danny Meredith, Rochdale Council’s cabi- net member for regener- ation and housing, said: “Transforming unused brownfield sites into new homes around key transport hubs is a major priority for us, and we’re already seeing change on the ground.” The scheme, which is being delivered by Rochdale Development Agency, is expected to take around 12 months to complete. features a number of buildings designed by the late, celebrated architect, Edgar Wood and Catley Lane Head, which is known as Cotton Fam- ine Road. Maclure Road, which features St John the Baptist Church and the old Rochdale fire station is also a conservation area, as is Heywood rail- way station on the East Lancs Railway and Phoe- nix Brewery. ROCHDALE Devel- opment Agency has announced its new managing director. Rachel Laver brings more than 25 years of senior leadership experi- ence in economic devel- opment, regeneration and the delivery of major public sector programmes to the role. She has successfully overseen £50million-plus projects across the envi- ronmental, transport and education sectors. Most recently, she served as chief executive at Staffordshire Cham- bers of Commerce, where she championed sustaina- bility focused investment and business growth. A TOTAL of £3.2mil- lion is being invested into additional school places to support children and young people with special educational needs in Rochdale. (SEN). Projects announced by Rochdale Council include a new SEN learning space at Norden Primary Academy, delivered in partnership with The Harmony Trust, which will provide primary school places for up to 22 children. The council is also working closely with Redwood Special School to provide an additional 20 secondary school places, while also sup- porting their sixth form provision at the Phoe- nix Centre. Antony Hughes, chief executive of The Har- mony Trust, said it was working with the council on a new inclusion hub at Norden Academy. He said: “We are excited to be working in such a strong partnership.” SEN provision boost New chief for agency