Empty and neglected buildings across Rochdale could be brought back into use after the borough was awarded £2.24 million from the Government's new Derelict Buildings Fund, in a move welcomed by Labour and Co-operative MP for Rochdale Paul Waugh.
Rochdale Borough Council's allocation, confirmed alongside Wednesday's Budget, is part of a £125 million national fund to help councils transform derelict buildings into spaces their communities need.
The money can be used to buy derelict buildings, close the viability gaps that stop regeneration schemes going ahead, and help community groups and local businesses take buildings over.
Paul Waugh will act as a Programme Champion for the fund, and Government guidance will make clear that councils should work alongside local MPs when deciding which buildings and projects to back.
Communities fighting to save their locals
The announcement comes as communities across the borough fight to save their pubs. In Littleborough, there is strong interest in reopening The Wheatsheaf, part of the Grade II listed Roundhouse building dating from the early 1860s, which closed in June.
Earlier this month, Rochdale Council passed a motion brought by Littleborough Lakeside Councillor Richard Jackson calling on the Government to block restrictive covenants on pub sales. These covenants allow pub companies selling a building to ban it from ever being used as a pub again, a restriction that binds every future owner. Paul Waugh has supported the campaign directly, writing to Ministers to urge action.
In Rochdale town, the former Kingsway Hotel on Kingsway has stood empty since it closed in July 2018. Built in 1938, the pub still has original features and is currently on the market, with the agent suggesting it could be considered for residential or retail use.
Waugh: 'Now we have the money and the backing'
"Every part of Rochdale has a building people walk past and wish someone would do something about," Paul Waugh said. "Now we have the money and the backing to actually do it."
"The Kingsway has been sitting empty for more than eight years, and Littleborough is rightly worried about what happens next to the Wheatsheaf. Buildings like these should be bringing life back to our neighbourhoods, not standing as reminders of what we've lost."
"As a Labour and Co-operative MP, I'm especially pleased this fund can help community groups take ownership of the places that matter to them," he added. "Alongside the new Community Right to Buy, it gives local people real tools to save their pub. I'll keep pressing to close the covenant loophole too, so that once a community gets its local back, it can actually pour a pint."
"I'll be using my role as Programme Champion to make sure this money goes where local people want it to go, and I'd urge anyone with ideas for a building in their area to get in touch."
Part of the new High Streets Strategy
The Derelict Buildings Fund is part of the Government's new High Streets Strategy, launched this week. The strategy also includes a Community Right to Buy, a broader definition of Assets of Community Value and £65 million for community ownership, as well as business rates reforms to back retail, hospitality and leisure, and new planning guidance to protect music venues.
