Plans to make north east Greater Manchester the ‘engine room’ of the region’s ‘next industrial revolution’ are set to be signed off by local leaders. Proposals for a new Mayoral Development Zone (MDZ) across Rochdale, Bury and Oldham - dubbed ‘Atom Valley’ - will go before a meeting of the combined authority on Friday.
The zone is focused on three sites which bosses say have the potential to accommodate 1.6m sq m of new employment space, create around 20,000 jobs and deliver 7,000 new homes. These include the Northern Gateway (which straddles Bury and Rochdale near the M66 and M62). Kingsway Business Park in Rochdale, and Stakehill in Rochdale and Oldham.
All three have long been part of plans to boost prosperity in the north east of the conurbation, and form part of the region’s hotly debated Places for Everyone (PfE) strategy, which is currently awaiting government approval. Leaders want to boost the economic growth and competitiveness of northern areas of Greater Manchester - including Rochdale, Bury and Oldham - so they are more on a par with those in the south, improving the income levels and life chances of residents.
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