Giant new employment site by the M60 with 10,000 jobs planned

Friday, 25 April 2025 10:50

By George Lythgoe, Local Democracy Reporter

Illustration of the Northern Gateway employment proposals

A huge, 6.5million sq ft employment site could soon be built next to the M60, M62 and M60 motorways intersection – creating 10,000 new jobs.

The land on the border of Rochdale and Bury has been earmarked for the industrial space, suitable for a wide range of businesses in the advanced manufacturing and industrial and logistics sectors.

The application also includes proposals for retail and leisure space, a hotel and green open spaces – all connected by a network of travel routes.

Once built, the site would be capable of supporting up to 10,000 jobs and contribute around £630m to the regional economy annually.

This forms a major part of the Northern Gateway scheme – the largest proposed employment site in Greater Manchester.

This planning application represents approximately half of the total proposed floorspace at Northern Gateway, supporting thousands of jobs in skilled trades such as research and development, AI and robotics, as well as logistics.

Overall, the Northern Gateway is expected to deliver around 20,000 jobs. The developer behind the plans is the Northern Gateway Development Vehicle (NGDV), a 50/50 partnership between land and property giants 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.

Map of the Northern Gateway land next to the M60, M62 and M66 motorways primed for development

“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.”

Set within the Atom Valley Mayoral Development Zone, the site was allocated in the Places for Everyone (PfE) joint development plan and is strategically located at the motorway intersection.

Lynda Shillaw, chief executive at Harworth Group PLC, 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 recently approved the adoption of a joint Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) for Northern Gateway – which provides a framework for the future planning applications on the site.

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