Major Contractor Appointed as Work on £60m Scheme Set to Start

Plans for the creation of 242 apartments and a Hampton by Hilton hotel in Rochdale have moved a step closer. Contractor Wilmott Dixon is set to start work on the £60m town centre scheme within days.The construction giant, which recently built the new shopping and leisure development, Rochdale Riverside, has been readying the site for months.Enabling works started in October last year and the firm has now been formally appointed to carry out the main build contract.The project, known as Upperbanks, is set to create a number of opportunities for companies in the area. The firm is aiming to ensure 40 per cent of its spend is committed within a 20-mile radius of the site, while 75 per cent of it will be spent within 40 miles. A number of work experience and apprenticeship and job opportunities will be made available. The team is aiming to provide at least 15 sessions with primary schools and more than 100 weeks’ worth of apprenticeships. The scheme has been awarded more than £20m of external funding, attracting in excess of £17m from the government’s Future High Streets Fund. More than £3m has been received from the Greater Manchester’s Combined Authority’s Brownfield Development Fund. Willmott Dixon was appointed after the council’s cabinet recently gave the go ahead for work on the main contract to get underway.Upperbanks is a Rochdale Borough Council scheme being brought forward by Rochdale Development Agency. It is set for completion in early 2024.