Page 23 - Real Rochdale Issue 18 Summer 2023

Rochdale Development In November 2006, Rochdale

Borough Council granted Mr
Agency celebrates its Bernstein its highest
possible accolade, the
Freedom of the Borough, in
recognition of his outstanding
30th anniversary service to the area and in Over the past 30 years, the as the living, working
particular reflected the
leading role he played in the
founding of the Rochdale RDA - in partnership with the centrepiece of Rochdale.
Training and Enterprise council - has secured and Upperbanks, which
Council and the creation of safeguarded thousands of comprises of 242 apartments
the RDA. jobs. It has been responsible and a 146-bedroom hotel,
for helping local companies will be completed in the
Barrie was a true Rochdalian: grow and has worked summer of this year, bringing
he was instrumental in tirelessly with multiple high-quality housing stock
establishing collaborative agencies to attract companies into the town centre.
working between the public such as Danish Crown, which
and private sector - a model according to the Financial Work will begin on The
which continues to this day Times, is the UK’s biggest Advanced Machinery and
bringing with it many benefits foreign inward investment Productivity Innovation
to Rochdale’s residents and post-Brexit. When the Danish Centre building at Kingsway.
businesses alike. Crown plant is fully Atom Valley (the Greater
operational, it will create 300 Manchester Mayoral
It is fair to say that, in 1993, new jobs. Development Zone) will
Rochdale, Heywood, begin development, which
Middleton and the Pennines The RDA’s 30th anniversary is will realise the many job and
district were very different of course a great opportunity development opportunities.
places. to reflect on how far the
borough has come, but more Councillor John Blundell,
Kingsway Business Park didn’t than that we have the chance RDA board member, said:
exist, nor did Heywood to look forward to some very “Looking back at the last 30
Distribution Park; Middleton significant projects and plan years in Rochdale, it is
Arena hadn’t been built and for a bright future. 2023 will incredible how much
the River Roch in the town see the Grade-I listed progress has been made in
1993: John Major was Prime Minister, the Being a Rochdalian however, Mr Bernstein centre was still covered. Rochdale town hall reopen physical redevelopment, in-
average house price was £51,210, people were wasn’t prepared to let this go; he knew vestment into the area and -
driving Ford Escorts, a loaf of bread was 55p - Rochdale could do better, and he wanted to most importantly - the sheer
and if you had a mobile phone (only 5% of the support the town. He had worked with John Kingsway Business Park number of jobs and
population did), it may well have been a Nokia Hudson, then the head of planning at Bolton, opportunities secured for
101. on his relocation and knew that if they could residents.
work together to create an agency that would
1993 is however significant for another reason, support businesses moving to the borough of “I’m excited about the future
Rochdale Development Agency was born. Rochdale, the area would benefit greatly. of the borough and will make
sure that we level up the area
The RDA was the idea of Barrie Bernstein, a Following lengthy discussions and negotiations for the benefit of everyone.”
prominent manufacturer in the area, who - with Rochdale Borough Council, Rochdale
through lack of support from the council at the Development Agency was established. Barrie The RDA will be marking the
time - had been forced to move his business, was its first chair and was in the role for 13 occasion with events and
a kitchen manufacturer employing more than years with John Hudson as its first chief news stories focusing on
1,300 people from Middleton to Bolton. executive. Rochdale’s businesses.

REAL ROCHDALE - SUMMER 2023 22 23 REAL ROCHDALE - SUMMER 2023