£8.5m investment brings Northern Gateway another step closer – unlocking jobs for future generations

Bury is taking another major step towards creating the jobs, opportunities and economic growth of the future.

The council’s Cabinet will next week consider accepting a further £8.5m of Investment Zone funding for the Western Access, the transport and highway infrastructure needed to unlock the first phases of Northern Gateway and one of the biggest employment opportunities in Greater Manchester.

Once delivered, Western Access will create the potential capacity to unlock up to 600,000 square metres of employment development, helping bring forward space for advanced manufacturing, innovation and other high-value growth sectors.

It is another example of the borough LET'S Do It! strategy, the 2020 10-year vision to accelerate inclusive growth and reduce deprivation, becoming reality.

Across Bury, plans that once existed in strategies, consultation documents and planning frameworks are increasingly becoming things people can see, use and benefit from. New homes are being built. New facilities are opening. Regeneration is becoming visible. Northern Gateway is part of that same story, except here the focus is on creating the opportunities, investment and jobs of the future.

Councillor Eamonn O'Brien, Leader of Bury Council, said: “When people hear figures of this scale it can be easy to get lost in the numbers – but the reason Northern Gateway matters is actually very simple. We’re helping create the jobs our children and grandchildren could work in.

“Through LET'S Do It! we set an ambition to grow our economy and the generation of job creation, reduce deprivation and create more opportunities for local people. Northern Gateway is one of the biggest opportunities we have to deliver that ambition.

“The decision in front of Cabinet might look like it is about infrastructure, contracts and technical design. Those things are the means, not the end. What we are really unlocking is land for businesses to invest, jobs to be created and opportunities for local people to build careers closer to home. Across Bury, people are increasingly seeing plans become reality. Northern Gateway is part of that same story.

“We had a plan. Now we're doing it.”

Northern Gateway is Bury's largest employment allocation within the Places for Everyone plan and forms a central part of the wider Atom Valley growth programme. The project is designed to support economic growth in the north of Greater Manchester while ensuring local communities benefit from the opportunities created.

The Western Access scheme, also known as the Pilsworth Road Corridor Improvements, will provide the highway and transport infrastructure required to access the early phases of Northern Gateway. It will also include active travel and public transport improvements designed to connect existing and future communities to employment opportunities.

Bury Council is the accountable body for the Investment Zone funding and is procuring and delivering the scheme on behalf of both Bury and Rochdale councils.

The latest funding forms part of a wider £10m Investment Zone allocation supporting delivery of Western Access. Previous funding has already enabled early design and business case development work, while the final £8.5m will include funding the remaining pre-construction activity needed before delivery can begin.

The current programme anticipates preliminary designs being completed during 2027, detailed designs following thereafter and construction beginning later in the decade.

For Bury, success will ultimately be measured not by road layouts, business cases or hectares unlocked, but by whether local people benefit from the opportunities created.

Whether that's a young person entering advanced manufacturing, an apprentice developing new skills, an existing business finding room to expand or future generations accessing high-quality employment closer to home, that's what Northern Gateway is designed to achieve.

It's another step on the journey from plans to places, and from places to opportunity.

ENDS

Notes to editors

What is Western Access?

Western Access, also known as the Pilsworth Road Corridor Improvements, is a cross-boundary transport and highway scheme involving both Bury and Rochdale councils. It will provide the infrastructure needed to unlock the first phases of Northern Gateway.

How much development could it unlock?

The Cabinet report states that Western Access could create the potential capacity to unlock up to 600,000 square metres of employment-generating uses, including advanced manufacturing and other growth sectors.

How much funding is involved?

Northern Gateway has been allocated £10 million of Investment Zone funding over five years. The latest Cabinet report seeks acceptance of the final £8.5 million capital grant.

Why does it matter?

Northern Gateway is Bury's largest employment allocation within Places for Everyone and forms part of Atom Valley. The development is intended to support long-term economic growth, job creation, business investment and skills development across the north of Greater Manchester.