By George Lythgoe
Copyright manchestereveningnews
The historic steps that sit in the shadow of Rochdale’s iconic town hall are getting a huge revamp. Leading up the Broadfield Slopes towards St Chad’s Church, the huge slabs of stone have become unsafe and overgrown in places. Now the council will upgrade the historic steps after getting planning approval. The path, which can be accessed off Packer Street, will be made level and safe again once the work is completed. To see planning applications; traffic and road diversions and layout changes; and more, visit the Public Notices Portal HERE New lighting and higher handrails along the side of the steps guiding people up to the medieval church are also included in the proposals. This development comes at a critical point in the redevelopment of the area – which is undergoing a dramatic change as part of a separate scheme. Broadfield Slopes, which runs alongside the steps, has been an archaeological dig site over summer where there was ambition to find medieval artefacts linked to the town’s long history. The dig recently unearthed the remains of a wall and drain, thought to date from the 17th or 18th century. On the Broadfield Slopes, a restoration project will see a new platform to be used as an event space with seating will become a central piece in the revamp which will also feature safer and more accessible paths. The new footways would be lined with new trees and planters designed to spruce up the area going towards the historic Packer Spout feature. The existing pool at the top will be cleaned up and expanded to create an ecological pond which can be used by the local school and community for education. Get news, views and analysis of the biggest stories with the daily Mancunian Way newsletter – sign up here The £3m project, which is being funded by the council and The National Lottery Heritage Fund, is separate from the plan for the steps up to St Chads. The newly tabled plan would be funded by a different pot of money organised by the local authority. Planning papers read: “There are no plans to replace any of the stone steps or use new materials for the stonework and these will be bedded on lime mortar. “With regards to the hand rails the proposal is to replace these with new but to match the original, the brackets are to be fitted into the original leaded holes in the pad stones, the brackets are to be higher so the handrails can be set at a more regulation height, currently the handrails are very low.”
