RDA's new look for Heywood gets the thumbs up from traders

Refurbishment of the town centre has taken place over the last five years to enhance the appearance and vitality of Heywood’s main shopping area. The emphasis has been on helping the independent retail shops providing services for the local community.

A celebratory tour took place with a delegation from Rochdale Development Agency (RDA), New Heart for Heywood (NHH) and Heywood Township to mark the completion of the main works.
Traders in Heywood have given the thumbs up to major improvement work which has transformed the face of the town centre.

They told a delegation from Rochdale Development Agency and New Heart for Heywood (NHH) that they were ‘thrilled to bits’ with the restoration of the main street to its former glory.

RDA has been working in partnership with the NHH to deliver the new look, under their £600,000 Property Improvement Programme which has so far transformed 35 shops. Encouraged by the improved appearance of the main shipping area other owners have started to improve their premises and it is hoped that this process will continue.

As the programme nears completion, work on improving one final block of shops on Market Street , which backs onto Dawson Street is almost finished. Works to transform the block saw new shop fronts installed, new stone facades and woodwork, cleaning and re-pointing brickwork and installation of period windows to re-create the Georgian heritage of the buildings at each end of the block.

As well as a smart new look for the rear of the premises; signs are being installed to the rear of the shops, on Dawson Street , to help attract shoppers from the Times Retail Park . New security measures, in the form of concealed and colour coded roller shutters have also been introduced.

Other work has been undertaken to improve the appearance of the town centre such as new street signs, tree planting and hanging baskets along with new traffic junction barriers.

Local traders have confirmed that there has been a very positive reaction to the improvements from customers and for many there is evidence of increased trade. This is welcome news for the town centre

Graham Rawlinson, owner of Brown’s No 1 pub on Bridge Street , said: “It really is a remarkable transformation. The area was pretty downbeat before, with quite a lot of the properties in a bad state of repair. Now there has been a huge change for the better.”

Graham was given a full grant of £25,000 which enabled him to invest a further £75,000 in a major facelift. Now, despite the recession, trade is on the up. He added: “We are doing more business now than ever before. The whole area is looking better – it has more life as every day goes by.”

Susan Feeney, owner of the Fandango dance outfitters, said: “It’s beautiful now – before the work was done, the block was untidy and scruffy. It was the first thing people saw as they drove into Heywood from Bury and that wasn’t good for business.

“Now, thanks to this work I am much more hopeful about the future – we have a lot more confidence about the prospects for the town centre.”

At neighbours Midas Mobility, boss Wayne Squire said: “The shop fronts were very dated and the backs were a mess. Now we have new doors and windows, cleaned up brickwork and new signage. To tell you the truth, we are all thrilled to bits with it. It’s great.”

The delegation also inspected improvements to the ‘public realm’ locally – hanging baskets, improved paving and better street furniture to attract more shoppers – before going on to the former Heywood police station (TOPS) which was converted into 29 new managed work space units as part of a number of major new investments in Heywood.

John Hudson, Chief Executive of Rochdale Development Agency, said: “It is really rewarding to see at first-hand the practical results of these major regeneration projects”.
“Working in partnership with New Heart for Heywood and Heywood Township we have upgraded an important town centre gateway. This is boosting business for traders and encouraging more people to shop here in the town”.

Susan Coates, chair of Heywood NDC Partnership said: "As a Heywood resident, I am delighted by the improvements which have clearly visually transformed parts of the town centre. These improvements have also led to a greater sense of well being all round and everyone should be proud of their achievements."

The work to the block has been carried out by borough based contractor Jackson & Son.