Employment hub spanning 6.5 million sq ft is set to be developed near the junction of the M60, M62 and M60 motorways – with hopes the scheme could help create or support 10,000 jobs.
The site at the Rochdale and Bury border, this sizeable plot is designated for industrial use, focusing on advanced manufacturing as well as the industrial and logistics sectors.
The application also details plans for retail and leisure facilities, a hotel, and public realm, as well as a network of transport links.
The completed site could be home to 10,000 jobs and inject approximately £630m annually into the regional economy.
This project is integral to the Northern Gateway scheme, touted as Greater Manchester’s most expansive proposed employment site to date.
The current application outlines roughly half of the expected total floor area for the Northern Gateway, fuelling job growth in highly skilled fields including research and development, artificial intelligence, robotics, and logistics.
Altogether, the Northern Gateway is anticipated to spawn around 20,000 employment opportunities. Leading the project is the Northern Gateway Development Vehicle (NGDV), a joint venture split equally between land and property groups Russell LDP and Harworth Group plc.
Helen Hartley, Planning Associate Director at Russell LDP, said: “This is a major milestone in delivering a nationally important employment destination in the North West.
“Northern Gateway is a transformative opportunity, many years in the making, that will create thousands of jobs and bring lasting benefits to the local area and wider region.”
Situated within the Atom Valley Mayoral Development Zone, the site has been earmarked in the Places for Everyone (PfE) joint development plan due to its strategic location at the motorway intersection.
Harworth Group’s CEO, Lynda Shillaw, added: “Northern Gateway will transform the North West and its economy.
“Focussed on advanced manufacturing, industrial and logistics, and emerging sectors, it will provide a catalyst for growth, elevating the potential of the North West for both existing businesses to expand and new national and international investment in the region.”
Bury and Rochdale councils have recently given the green light to the adoption of a joint Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) for Northern Gateway – which lays out a framework for future planning applications on the site.
https://couriernews.co.uk/blog/northern-gateway-could-create-10000-jobs/