£250m scheme will see 1,000 new homes built

A major new scheme which will see 1,000 new homes built has been approved by Rochdale Council.

Rochdale planning committee approved the major hybrid planning application for the new homes in South Heywood.

IBI Group, an integrated design and technology practice, has been taken on to provide a range of services for the £250m project including master-planning, urban design, architecture, landscape architecture, graphics, GIS and 3D visualisation.

The scheme for Russell Homes includes 129 hectares of land with 1,000 new homes, 1.45million square feet of employment space, a primary school, a local community centre and significant landscape infrastructure.

There will also be a new 2km link road from the M62 to serve new and existing employment areas.

Russell Homes Planning Manager, Gary Lynch, said: “IBI Group has provided a complete design package, using their multi-disciplinary offer to present the very special circumstance necessary to justify development in the Green Belt.

“Their approach has been essential on so many levels, helping us to provide a clear narrative to support our vision, and secure buy-in from the wider team, businesses and importantly the Council.

“The scheme has been founded on robust placemaking principles and is a truly sustainable community. IBI Group has been instrumental in the success of this application and we now look forward to working with them to bring forward the new industrial areas of this proposal at the earliest opportunity, subject to the Secretary of State not calling-in the hybrid application.”

The South Heywood masterplan is a long-term development that is estimated to create around 2,850 jobs and improve highways infrastructure to the southern part of the borough.

Studio Associate, Dinesh Maheshwari, said: “This project is a good example of IBI Group’s ability to provide a developer with a range of services in one integrated team that meet the requirements of a complex project.

“We now look forward to working with Russell Homes on the delivery of the scheme and become a longstanding partner in delivering the vision at South Heywood.”