Planning saga over 19th century pub rages on

Thursday, 3 July 2025 19:54

By George Lythgoe, Local Democracy Reporter

Plans to convert a 19th century Rochdale pub into flats have been put back on the table.

Royds Arms sits within a conservation area of Rochdale and has been vacant for more than a year. But when plans were tabled to transform the Rooley Moor Road site into six new one-bedroom apartments, Rochdale Council said no.

Since that decision back in January, developers Bidwell Ventures UK have redesigned the scheme and requested planning permission once again.

The planning team at Rochdale council rejected the proposal after finding that three of the flats ‘would not get enough light’. Council officers also believed the changes to the building would harm the Spotland Fold Conservation Area.

The applicant believes the six apartments are vital to make the scheme cost-effective, but has redesigned some of the proposals. The original rear box dormer has been axed to retain the current roof; the rear extension has been redesigned to ‘respect the character of the building’; and they will use timber windows instead of UPVC.

Bidwell Ventures also conducted a sunlight survey, which found internal natural light to habitable rooms of the building was ‘highly satisfactory’.

Planning papers read: “First of all, it needs to be understood that the six apartments that are proposed are imperative to the viability of the scheme.

“The design must therefore work within these parameters, otherwise the proposal cannot go ahead, with the consequence that the building will remain vacant and therefore at risk of deterioration and vandalism.

“Given the modifications, the proposal should no longer be seen as harmful but instead as a positive initiative that will return the building to sustainable use, secure its future and preserve its character and significance.”

A heritage report found evidence of the pub’s existence as far back as the 1840’s when it was known as Tenters Arms – before changing its name to Royds Arms by 1890. The pub sits within Spotland Fold Conservation Area, which covers a small area centred upon a bend in Rooley Moor Road.

The principal building in the area is the Grade II-listed Spotland Methodist Church of 1896.