First tenants move into Rochdale town centre development

A doctor and a vet are among the first tenants to move into a new state of the art housing development in Rochdale town centre.

Andreas Anest and Sunny Karthik are among the first residents to make the apartment complex home just weeks after the council entered into an agreement with leading property management company, Urban Bubble, to manage the site.

The apartments, a mixture of studios and one and two bed options, with residents’ lounges, landscaped gardens and parking, are part of the wider Upperbanks development, which also features a 146 room Hampton by Hilton hotel, which opened in September last year. Together, the hotel and apartments have transformed a former derelict, brownfield site in the heart of Rochdale town centre.

Constructed by Willmott Dixon and project managed by RDA on behalf of the council, the Upperbanks scheme attracted over £20m of external grants, including £17.1m from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities’ (DLUHC) brownfield land fund and over £3.4m from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA).

Andreas moved into his apartment with his partner, Alexia, in February..

He said: “This apartment is in a really good location. I can get around to different places easily and I can walk to the local vets practice that I work at. It feels safe here, and there’s always a nice buzz around, with people coming and going to the shops and work places. It’s more value for money than Manchester, but I can easily get into Manchester if I want to. We do have quite a lot here though, including the cinema, so I don’t need to go into Manchester much. We’re getting to know Rochdale well now, and we’re looking forward to discovering places people have recommended to us like Hollingworth Lake.”

Dr Sunny Karthik, a psychiatrist, who works at the Birch Hill Hospital, has been living in his apartment for a few weeks. He said: “I’m new to Rochdale, but it feels like a really tolerant and welcoming place. I’ve found people to be friendly and they’ve helped me settle in. I love the location here. I’m close to all local amenities and shops and I can easily get to my place of work on the bus. I also like the fact that the apartment is brand new, fresh and modern. You can’t get a place like this in Manchester for the price I’m paying.”

Councillor Danny Meredith, cabinet member for housing and regeneration at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “Getting the right housing offer for the borough means offering good quality homes for all different types of people with different needs. Before Upperbanks was built, we were lacking high quality build to rent apartments, so this has created a new offer and filled a gap in the market.

"I’m delighted to see young professionals like Andreas and Sunny choosing to make Rochdale their home and build their careers here. By bringing new residents into the borough, we’re also supporting the many businesses and cultural attractions in the area, which in turns boosts the local economy and local employment.”