Rochdale Council have approved plans to build a 42,700 sq ft sustainable materials and manufacturing centre as part of ongoing development across three Greater Manchester boroughs.

Named as one of the flagship projects in Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham’s Atom Valley Development Zone.

The innovation hub is set to be built at Kingsway Business Park in Rochdale, and provide jobs in advanced manufacturing and machinery.

The sustainable materials and manufacturing centre would contain workshops, metrology spaces for testing materials, workspaces, labs, offices, meeting rooms, a design and analysis studio, a lecture theatre, and a café.

The local authority is working alongside Wilson Bowden Developments and DLA Architecture on the project. Fairhurst Architects were the design architects for the project, helping it reach the planning stage. The project team includes BWB and Brook Ecological, engineering and ecological consultancy firms based in Manchester.

Access to the facility would be off Michael Faraday Avenue in Rochdale. Its location sits just by the Kingsway Business Park tram stop. As well as public transport, 86 car parking spaces will be available on site. These would include 18 with EV charging capability and seven that are designated disabled.

To peruse the approved planning application, search reference number 24/00668/FUL on Rochdale Council’s planning portal.