Living and working in the borough of Rochdale
The borough of Rochdale has a rich history and heritage and is the birthplace of the Co-operative movement.
The borough has benefitted from unprecedented levels of investment in recent years, with money from the council, private sector and organisations like the Heritage Lottery Fund and Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) helping to improve a number of areas.
The borough is one of the best connected places in the UK with close links to a number of motorway networks, mainline rail services and the Greater Manchester tram network, which takes commuters to within 50 meters of the council’s stunning main offices – Number One Riverside.
Hundreds of thousands of people visit the borough each year to take in our stunning scenery, incredible history, culture and heritage – and a series of exciting events that includes the Rochdale Feel Good Festival and Rochdale Borough Festival of Ideas.
A new retail and leisure development, Rochdale Riverside, sits directly across from the council offices and includes Marks and Spencer, H&M, Next, River Island and New Look stores as well as a number of stylish cafes and eateries and cinema.
The borough of Rochdale is formed by four township areas: Rochdale, Heywood, Middleton, and the Pennines, which includes the villages of Littleborough, Milnrow, and Newhey.
Rich history and an exciting future – benefit of working in Rochdale borough
The borough has a population of just over 211,000 people living in an area spanning 62 sq miles.
Our population is becoming increasingly diverse with an estimated 87 per cent from white ethnic groups and 11 per cent of Pakistani, Kashmiri or Bangladeshi origin.
Rochdale was an important engine house of the industrial revolution and where the worldwide Co-operative movement began.
Ambitious plans for the future
Like other authorities and publicly funded organisations, we’re dealing with significant challenges and having to make substantial savings.
Despite these pressures, we’re making good progress on our programme of change and redefining the borough of Rochdale with ambitious people-centred regeneration.
Kingsway Business Park is one of the most active regeneration projects in the UK. Major deals have resulted in millions of square feet of business property being taken up across the borough.
New major developments
Increasing numbers of businesses are choosing to locate in the borough. Huge numbers of stylish new homes have been built to accommodate the people who are moving here, with more under construction.
Our new Rochdale Riverside leisure and retail complex opened in 2020 with a 6-screen cinema, quality restaurants and big-name stores like Marks & Spencer, H&M and Next.
It sits alongside a modern transport system and state-of-the-art offices.
World-class architecture
Rochdale’s magnificent grade I listed Victorian gothic town hall is renowned worldwide for its unique architecture.
As one of the finest buildings of its kind, Rochdale Town Hall, designed by William Henry Crossland, and its landscaped gardens are a popular location for television filming, weddings, conferences, meetings and corporate events.
Outside, a statue to mark Rochdale’s singing heroine Dame Gracie Fields stands proud along with a Gracie purple plaque heritage trail.
The purple plaque sits in honour of the performer who rose from humble roots to become the highest-paid actress in the world.