Gareth Russell and partners opening the new link road.

The Mayor of Rochdale and Leader of Rochdale Borough Council were among those attending the official opening of the new A6184 on November 1st, alongside representatives from Russell LDP and other public and private sector partners.

The new A6184 connects junction 19 of the M62 motorway with Pilsworth Road in Heywood and will open to the public on November 3rd. Acting as a catalyst for the local economy through increased connectivity, the area will be more attractive to new investment and existing employment opportunities.

It is the first completed element of the 316-acre South Heywood masterplan, which is being brought forward by Russell LDP, land promoter and master developer. It further supports the development of more than 1.88m sq ft of new employment space at Russell LDP's new logistics and manufacturing site, HPARK. Opportunities for 1,000 new homes, a new local centre, a primary school, a park, retail and sports facilities are also forthcoming, with Russell Homes, Bellway and Anwyl all progressing residential sites in the new West Hopwood community.

The Russell LDP team has been working on the masterplan for more than a decade, bringing together the land, funding and public and private sector partnerships needed to deliver the programme over 20 years.

To see the link road fully operational after 12 years of working on the project is extremely rewarding. Russell LDP and Rochdale Borough Council have worked together on this collaboration, and the partnership has enabled us to deliver something that will be genuinely transformational for the local area, future development and existing businesses. I would like to thank our colleagues, the council and council members and Rochdale Development Agency, for their support and the vision they had for backing this for the past decade. This will be game-changing for the area.
Daniel Kershaw, Director, Russell LDP

The opening of the link road is a milestone for everyone involved in the delivery of this transformative economic regeneration scheme and is a testament to what a working partnership can achieve. It is the key to unlocking the economic potential of South Heywood, making the location more accessible and attractive for businesses to invest and bring new jobs to the area. It will further help reduce carbon emissions in the borough by immediately removing hundreds and thousands of hours of travel, something which will benefit residents and businesses alike.
Gareth Russell, Joint Managing Director, Russell LDP

Rochdale Borough Council has applied to name the new road Queen Elizabeth II Way in honour of the late head of state. It was built with over £20m private and public sector funding and is set to benefit residents and businesses with shorter journey times and reduced travel costs.

The new route means vehicles will no longer have to divert to the M66 motorway via smaller local roads, reducing journey lengths by tens of thousands of miles every year. Over 60 years, this equates to a £156m combined saving from reduced journeys and £25m less in operating costs.

For Heywood town centre, this will remove up to 35,770 heavy goods vehicle journeys every year and reduce carbon emissions by immediately reducing journey times by 267,000 hours a year.

The opening of the new link road will alleviate congestion and reduce journeys by creating a more efficient route. Vehicles will rely less on the town centre to navigate their journeys and create a better environment for residents through the local roads becoming less busy.
Councillor Daniel Meredith, Cabinet Member for Highways and Housing, Rochdale Borough Council

We're delighted to celebrate the opening of the new link road, supporting improved journeys to and from the M62. This has already unlocked the potential for new businesses, hundreds of jobs and more homes in the vicinity of the motorway. The project is a great example of the partnership National Highways has been supporting from our Growth and Housing fund, across the North West, contributing £1.5m to the construction of the new link road.
Bruce Parker, Head of Planning and Development in the North West, National Highways

This project is the culmination of many years' hard work, not only by the council and ward councillors, but equally by our valued partners with whom we have all worked tirelessly together. It delivers value in how it will reduce costs for the residents of Heywood and local businesses through fewer travel miles, providing an excellent service in transforming Heywood's road network.
Councillor Neil Emmott, Leader, Rochdale Borough Council