Council agrees deal on Upperbanks site
The move means that the apartments, which are a mixture of studio, 1 and 2 beds, will hit the rental market within days.
Manchester-based urbanbubble has been taken on to let and manage the 242 apartments, which are part of the £60 million Upperbanks development.
The game changing development has created a new offer for the borough, which doesn’t currently have high quality private rental accommodation of this size and scale.
The apartment complex includes high quality communal areas, a concierge service and landscaped gardens. It sits alongside a 146 room Hampton by Hilton Hotel, which opened in September 2023.
Manchester-based urbanbubble has been taken on to let and manage the 242 apartments, which are part of the £60 million Upperbanks development.
The development is steps away from the Rochdale Riverside retail and leisure complex in the heart of Rochdale town centre, which opened in 2020 as part of a wider £400 million regeneration programme. It is also close to the Metrolink network and Rochdale train station, which operates 6 trains an hour into Manchester.
Councillor Danny Meredith, cabinet member for regeneration and housing at Rochdale Borough Council, said:
“These fantastic apartments offer something brand new for Rochdale and demonstrate the really high quality of developments which are being delivered as part of our regeneration programme. A thriving borough needs a mix of different types of housing to cater for different people and lifestyles and these homes are a really important part of that wider offer.
“I’m delighted that urbanbubble is now on board. The apartments not only look fantastic, but they’re right in the heart of our newly regenerated Rochdale town centre, which has a great retail and leisure offer, as well as fantastic transport links. I’m confident that they’ll prove popular.”
Michael Howard, managing director and owner of urbanbubble, said:
“The Upperbanks scheme has created high quality build to rent accommodation in the heart of Rochdale, which easily compares to the best on offer in Manchester, but at more accessible prices.
“This fantastic development really adds something new to the market here, creating even more choice for people looking to make Rochdale their home or for those who already live here and want something a bit different. We will be marketing these properties very soon and we expect levels of interest to be high.”
The apartments are expected to appear on Rightmove in the coming days and the urbanbubble team have plans to create an Upperbanks website in the new year, which will contain more information on the apartments and how people can find out more and register their interest.
The Upperbanks scheme has attracted more than £20 million of external funding, with over £17 million from the government’s Future High Streets Fund and over £3 million from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) Brownfield Development Fund. It was delivered by Rochdale Development Agency (RDA) on behalf of Rochdale Borough Council, with Willmott Dixon acting as the main contractors.
