FAQs

What is Northern Gateway?

In the Places for Everyone joint development plan Northern Gateway is made up of two allocated development sites, one an employment-led destination (known as allocation JPA 1.1 Heywood/Pilsworth), and the other intended to be residential-led (known as allocation JPA 1.2 Simister/Bowlee).
Part of the Atom Valley Mayoral Development Zone, together they will deliver transformative growth for Greater Manchester and beyond, with substantial investment, new jobs, homes and community benefits.
You’ll be able to find out information about the employment destination here, with a separate website for the residential coming soon.
What has happened so far?

Bury and Rochdale Councils have adopted a joint Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) for the employment-led Northern Gateway site, known as JPA 1.1 Heywood/Pilsworth. The SPD sets out the vision, design principles, and detailed planning guidance for the area, providing a framework for assessing future applications.
In line with this framework, the Northern Gateway Development Vehicle has now submitted an outline planning application to both councils for the first phase of development.
This can be found on each site, using the following application reference numbers.
Bury Council reference number: 71867
Rochdale Council reference number: 25/00418/OUT
Who is the team behind Northern Gateway?
Plans for a large portion of the Northern Gateway site will be developed by the Northern Gateway Development Vehicle (NGDV) – a 50/50 partnership between Russell LDP and Harworth Group plc. The NGDV are collaborating to design proposals for the site and have now submitted an outline planning application. If the application is approved, they will then be responsible for building the development and securing operators to move there.
Both Russell LDP and Harworth Group plc have strong track records in delivering benchmark regeneration and construction projects throughout the region, with experienced Manchester-based teams.
Founded in 1997, Russell LDP is an experienced land promoter and commercial developer, headquartered in Manchester. Russell LDP is bringing forward South Heywood, the consented first phase of the Northern Gateway allocation including employment space and new homes. Find out more about Russell LDP here.
Harworth Group plc is one of the leading land and property regeneration companies in the UK, owning and managing approximately 13,000 acres on around 100 sites in the North of England and Midlands. Harworth creates sustainable places for people to live and work, delivering thousands of new jobs and homes in the regions. Find out more about Harworth Group here.
What is currently being prepared?

The Northern Gateway Development Vehicle (NGDV), a 50/50 partnership between Russell LDP and Harworth Group, has submitted an outline planning application for an early phase of the Northern Gateway employment-led site (JPA 1.1 Heywood/Pilsworth), which covers around half of the overall proposed floorspace. See above for more information about the two partners.
What are the proposals for the employment-led site?
Northern Gateway will create a dynamic and nationally significant employment destination, driving jobs and investment in the northern boroughs and supporting a rebalancing of the city region’s economy.
Our submitted plans for the employment-led site are for:
Around 6.5 million sq ft. of employment space in advanced manufacturing, industrial and logistics – from start-ups to international businesses.
Around 54,000 sq ft. of supporting uses potentially including retail, cafés/restaurants, a hotel, office space, conference and training facilities and community uses.
Landscaping and green, open space for recreation and to improve local biodiversity
Active travel routes linking existing and new homes with jobs.
Sustainability at the heart of the design, contributing to Greater Manchester’s commitment to be net zero carbon by 2038.
What are the benefits?

As one of the UK’s most important employment destinations it is set to attract national and international businesses and drive investment in the local area and supercharge the Greater Manchester economy. Creating a hub for innovation, the plans will deliver a long-term legacy, driving skills and creating high-quality jobs for generations to come.
We will deliver opportunities for people living in Bury, Rochdale and beyond with thousands of high-quality jobs and a long-term legacy of skills.
Alongside advanced manufacturing jobs, from skilled trades to R&D, AI and robotics, the site could offer high-quality logistics jobs like project managers, IT operatives, sales teams and engineers.
The first phase could see up to 10,000 high-quality jobs created (with the wider employment site set to deliver around 20,000 jobs), a £630 million GVA boost the Greater Manchester economy each year, and annual business rates of around £20 million to support council services.
The EIA Scoping Report provides certain details about the development, such as layouts, building heights and approach to landscaping. Are these decisions confirmed?

No. To give flexibility in the design process, the Scoping Report sets out the upper limits of development in relation to environmental impacts that needed to be assessed.
The details of the proposed development — including layouts, heights and landscaping – remain illustrative at this stage and will be confirmed through future Reserved Matters applications, following further engagement with local communities.
How can I have my say?

We have held a public consultation on the plans for the employment-led site. The consultation ran from Monday 20 January 2025 until Monday 17 February, 2025. In the coming weeks, a full report of the themes arising and comments from the public consultation will be provided in the Consultation Report and it is now available to view on the Planning portals using the below reference numbers, with the application documents.
Bury Council reference number: 71867
Rochdale Council reference number: 25/00418/OUT
When are you submitting the planning application?

An outline planning application has now been submitted to both Bury and Rochdale Councils. This follows public consultation and further design work to finalise the proposals.
If approved, further applications (known as Reserved Matters applications) will follow, which will provide detailed information on layout, access, scale, appearance, and landscaping.
How have you listened to feedback?

Public consultation took place ahead of the submission of the outline planning application, giving residents and stakeholders a chance to comment on the emerging proposals.
All feedback received was reviewed by the project team and helped to shape the submitted plans. A full summary of the consultation, including how feedback influenced the proposals, is included in a Consultation Report submitted as part of the planning application.
What about the next steps for the Simister and Bowlee housing site (JPA 1.2)?

We are in the early stages of considering proposals for the JPA 1.2 residential allocation at Simister and Bowlee, which will follow at a later date to the employment site and will be subject to its own planning process, including separate consultation.
This residential element is distinct from the current outline planning application for the employment site (JPA 1.1).
I’m interested in locating to the site or providing services, how do I get in touch?

Thank you for your feedback

Public consultation has now closed and the outline planning application has been submitted to Bury and Rochdale Councils for determination.

You can view and comment on the plans further by visiting the planning portal pages of Bury and Rochdale Council websites.

The application can be found on each site by searching the following planning application reference numbers:

Bury Council reference number: 71867

Rochdale Council reference number: 25/00418/OUT

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