Rochdale Borough Council’s Cabinet has refused to back down in a row with Marks & Spencer over the retailer's plan to pull out of a 50Kanchor pre-let at the £80M Rochdale Riverside retail scheme.

The store chain announced in November that it was to pull out of the deal. Now the council has decided to press on regardless with the implicit threat of legal action.

“As far as we’re concerned, M&S have signed a legally binding contract to take space in the Rochdale Riverside development and we fully expect them to honour that commitment,” Rochdale Council Leader Allen Brett said.

“We’re not going to let this issue derail what will be a fantastic development for the people of our borough, bringing 24 shops and restaurants, as well as a six-screen cinema, to the heart of Rochdale town centre. We will continue to work with our partner, Genr8, to deliver this game-changing development for our residents and visitors.”

Genr8 said they would not be commenting at this stage, but announcements on other lettings at the 200K SF Rochdale Riverside scheme are expected later this month.

Rochdale Council say they are not yet able to respond to Bisnow’s request for clarification on what legal steps they might take, and on what timescale.