The link road that opens the way to 16M SF of North Manchester industrial floorspace has been approved by Rochdale planners.

Russell Homes has secured approval for planning for controversial £400M plans which involve building on greenfield land close to the M62.

The development involves the creation of a new 1.4-mile link road from Junction 19 of the M62 motorway to the employment areas off Pilsworth Road, providing a direct route to the main employment areas of South Heywood.

This new route will directly unlock more than 1.45M SF of commercial floorspace and 1,000 new homes — but also clears the path for the wider 16M SF Pilsworth redevelopment on more than 900 acres owned by the Wilton Estate.

The site is close to the prime Stakehill industrial area, the M62 and M66, making it prime logistics territory. It offers flat greenfield sites in an area in which both are in short supply.

Russell Homes will fund the majority of the link road costs, with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority having agreed to allocate £10.3M and Highways England £1.75M.

Despite more than 270 objections, the council’s Planning Committee voted to approve the full planning permission for the link road, with works anticipated to start in spring 2019, while the rest of the plan received outline planning permission. Due to its scale, this hybrid application will now be referred to Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government Savid Javid.

“The South Heywood Masterplan unlocks enormous potential for Heywood and the borough, providing the infrastructure and commercial space to create thousands of new jobs and bring millions of pounds into the local economy,” Russell Homes Director Daniel Kershaw said.

The new link road has long been an infrastructure priority for both Rochdale council and Transport for Greater Manchester. It is approximately 17 kilometers shorter than the existing return journey.