Campaign to bring 'canal culture' to Rochdale

The main Rochdale Canal stretches from the Castlefield basin in central Manchester to Sowerby Bridge in West Yorkshire. It is 32 miles long and has 91 locks. The waterway flows through the whole borough of Rochdale.

After decades of dereliction, the canal was finally reopened fully in July 2002. The restoration, supported by local councils and English Partnerships, had taken many years to happen. Tireless campaigning over many years was led by the Rochdale Canal Society.

The vast amounts of money spent on the canal restoration was expected to lead to a rise in tourism. However, one rarely sees a boat venture beyond Littleborough and pass through the borough. The major problem is the lack of facilities for boaters between Rochdale and Manchester. Occasionally, one sees boats moored near Littleborough Station and at Slattocks, but rarely anywhere else. I was told by a waterways employee that during a year, on average, less than one boat a day travels on the canal between Littleborough and Manchester.

Style readers will have to have an excellent memory to recall the Rochdale Canal before full restoration. One forgets the many shallowed sections, culverts and lowered bridges between Manchester and Littleborough. There were other obstacles: the M62, the Sandbrook Park roundabout and even a supermarket in Failsworth. The full restoration, whatever anyone says, is a magnificent achievement.

Despite its name, the Rochdale Canal remains elusive to many of the borough's residents. The canal flows through the centre of Castleton, Smithy Bridge and Littleborough and is conveniently close to their railway stations, pubs, eateries and shops. However, elsewhere, the canal has little interface with Rochdale itself. It is hidden behind mills and industrial premises and sneaks under bridges on Oldham Road, Kingsway and Milnrow Road. There is no “canal culture” in Rochdale in the way that there is in Todmorden, Hebden Bridge and Sowerby Bridge which are all along the same waterway.

Map of Rochdale Branch Canal

There may be a solution! The derelict Rochdale Branch Canal led off from the main waterway at Oldham Road bridge, near Lock 50. It turned north at this point and flowed under Durham Street bridge, heading under the Grade 2 listed Halfpenny Bridge and under the railway line. There were wharves at what is now the Central Retail Park, currently occupied by Halfords, Argos, Matalan and Poundstretcher. At present, the branch is only in water up to Durham Street and acts as a turning circle for boats. The rest of it is either dry or built upon.

The Rochdale Branch Canal Facebook group have a solution which they say could be a "once in a lifetime opportunity to create regenerative opportunities". They want to see this abandoned waterway restored to include a marina, shops and cafes and mooring spots for residential boats. Co-ordinating the campaign to restore the branch canal and create a basin is Walsden resident Steven Parker. Steven's ideas are fascinating and his enthusiasm is infectious. He is no newcomer to canal preservation, having set up the Manchester, Bolton & Bury Canal Society when he was just seventeen years old.

Steven Parker's suggestions for the branch canal's restoration are ambitious. Reopening a half-mile long branch canal would cost millions of pounds. But imagine the effect that such a waterway would have. The exciting proposal would create jobs, improve the environment, boost regenerative opportunities and make Rochdale a waterside destination for visiting canal boats, providing lasting benefits to Rochdale and its community.

In order to convince myself about the project, I visited the area both on foot and by car. I walked over the historic Halfpenny Bridge which joins Oldham Road to Richard Street. The area around the bridge is overgrown, neglected and not very welcoming. However, it is close to the railway station, Metrolink stop and the excellent Greater Manchester Fire Station Museum. The place is crying out for regeneration and activity. There are many physical, financial and political obstacles to this proposed scheme. However, the full restoration of the Rochdale Canal was a much bigger project and eventually happened. Nothing is impossible.

What can Style readers do? Join the Rochdale Branch Canal Facebook group page and join in the discussion. Consider writing to your local councillors and MP if you feel strongly about the topic. Sign the petition at: www.change.org/p/rochdalemetropolitan-borough-council-save-the-rochdale-branch-canal.

Use the local canal more, observing, of course, social distancing rules. Above all, appreciate the extraordinary effort that was required to first build our canal over two centuries ago – and, of course, to reopen it!

Richard Lysons

Start of Rochdale Branch Canal with Durham Street Canal Bridge in the distance