Work starts on Middleton Tesco site

Middleton’s former civic centre and swimming pool started to be demolished today Monday (17 August) to make way for a brand new Tesco Extra in the town centre.

The flagship store off Assheton Way, which will open its doors next year, has been designated as a ‘Regeneration Partnership’ store, promising huge employment opportunities for local people and is set to play a key role in the regeneration of the area.

The old buildings will be dropped using mechanical plant equipment and demolition rubble on site will be crushed and recycled for use in the new development. The demolition and preparatory works are expected to take around three to four months ahead of construction getting underway on the store.

Some roadworks will also be planned with Assheton Way being made into a single carriageway to create additional space for the store.

Councillor Peter Williams, Chair of Middleton Township said: “It is great to see work starting at the new Tesco site and the outdated buildings coming down. This is a really exciting development for the town centre and will create hundreds of job opportunities for local people as well as supporting the wider regeneration of Middleton.”

The store follows the completion of the £13 million Middleton Arena sports and leisure facility. Both form part of a masterplan created by Rochdale Development Agency to revive the town centre which included the successful £4.5 million replacement of the town’s bus station and extension to the shopping centre.