The two villages that are about see life change forever

Looking out over the rolling fields surrounding her home, Christine Crolla points in disgust where a new town is expected to be built. The landscape between the villages of Bowlee and Simister is a bizarre mix of urban and rural life.

Strolling through the quaint villages, only the faint hum of rushing cars in the distance gives away you’re next to one of the busiest motorway junctions in the north west – Simister Island. The junction connects the M60, M62, and M66.

It’s connectivity, many feel, means it was inevitable that development was coming to the area. Now it’s here.

A massive scheme for 1,550 homes, shops, a healthcare facility and a school has been mooted – much to the fury of the people living in the two villages that could be about to change forever. 

“Absolutely fantastic – NOT,” said Christine. “We’re going to have no green belt whatsoever.

“This road is now so busy. This is a rat run already. Developers take no notice of what we think. The locals aren’t even considered.

“I came to live here last June and the girl I bought it off said the plans had been shelved. I wouldn’t have moved here if I knew all these houses were going to be built; I’d move again if it goes through.

“I just don’t want it, and I don’t think anyone else does. It’s the countryside now but if this happens it won’t be that anymore.”

The pensioner has lived in the area for years, but only moved to this area of Bowlee last year. She showed off the view from her back window as well as from her front drive, it will all be ‘decimated’ if this big scheme goes through.

A new village is effectively going to be plonked between Simister and Bowlee,  on the border of Rochdale and Bury.

Residents of Simister Lane, just off Heywood Old Road, are either up in arms or resigned to their fate. None of them are keen on the scheme being pushed forward by Rochdale and Bury councils, but they feel they are fighting a losing battle.

Alongside the houses and ‘community centre’ touted, new roads, transport stations and connections to walking and pedestrian routes are all included in the framework designed by local authorities. The framework was signed off by town hall bosses in Rochdale last week, with their counterparts in Bury expected to do the same later this week.

Brian Ward, who lives off Simister Lane, explained how the nature of the area would be completely altered.

“Look out and see how idyllic it is, not a dot on the landscape,” the 81-year-old said as he pointed out over the fields in front of his home. “And about 1,000 yards up there loads of houses would be built. 

“We’ve been here 10 years. We moved in thinking we’re coming to a rural village and now that’s changing. 

“We see people rattling up and down. It’s a rat run at peak times. 

“I’d up sticks if nothing changes I would up sticks and move away. I love living here, my wife was born just down the road. So it’s not a decision we’d make lightly. 

“People have to live somewhere, but surely there are plenty of other places.”

There is a feeling of inevitability in the air in both villages, with those remaining accepting that more houses are needed for people to live in. Some moved out as soon as the plans were first mooted a few years back.

Steve Murphy, from Bowlee, said: “We’ve been here since the 1990s. When the framework came out, about three of four households moved out. 

“As soon as they saw the plans they moved out. We bought the views as well, but that will change. 

“We are settled and we’ll live with it. With the trees I feel we don’t have the views anyway. 

“We’ve got to build houses for people, we’ve just got to accept it.”

There is a 6.5 million sq ft employment site planned for land next to the M60, M62 and M66 motorways intersection incoming. The thousands expected to be employed need to be housed somewhere, Brian Carney explained.

The Simister resident explained that they’ve lost the fight to stop the homes, but he thinks Bowlee will be worse off than Simister due to the development access coming off Heywood Old Road (A6045).

“I’ve been here for 20 years, but I don’t know how much impact it would have on us,” the 66-year-old said. “Personally I think they’ll block this road off as it’s a nightmare for traffic through to Bowlee – it’s not a proper road. 

“My wife uses the David Lloyd gym, she can maybe cycle there instead of driving. I think you’ve got to go with the times and accept it.

“They need houses for the jobs at the industrial centre. We came together years ago to fight it but got nowhere.

“We have a good community spirit here, you don’t get that village feel in Greater Manchester anymore. If that road gets closed off, it goes back to being a small village again. 

“I’d be more concerned in Bowlee as they’ll see it play out from their bedroom window.”

The agricultural land is already situated next to big employment sites, with more expected over the next two decades as part of the wider Atom Valley scheme. Atom Valley is one of six growth locations in Greater Manchester and includes significant parts of Bury, Oldham and Rochdale.

It is a vast area of 17m sq ft employment space, with the potential to offer 20,000 ‘highly skilled’ roles in the technology and manufacturing sectors as well as thousands of new homes. This Simister and Bowlee scheme falls under the project named the Northern Gateway. 

New transport links are seen as key to connecting the new homes to what is expected to become the largest and most accessible employment and innovation hubs in the region, driving substantial investment into Greater Manchester.

The fate of Simister Lane is the biggest sticking point for many people, with villagers questioning whether it would be blocked off.

The route can only be legally used outside of peak traffic hours, but it’s riddled with potholes. It resembles something you’d see the Flintstones driving on rather than Top Gear presenters.  

Tony Prince bemoaned the rat running that goes on, but he still wants to be able to use the route, suggesting a permit for residents and cameras to punish those using Simister Lane unlawfully.

The 59-year-old said: “I’m not against them building homes there because we need them. The problem is that this becomes a rat run. 

“That’s supposed to be cut off at certain times and the police don’t do anything. When construction starts how can they get trucks down that single track lane? 

“Residents here say they’re going to block that down there. We go to the gym and the driving range in Bowlee down that road and it takes five minutes.

“The other route takes 30 minutes if that gets blocked off. It’s just painful thinking about it. 

“Think about the building process and the trucks dropping off. It’ll be like a car parking lot here. 

“We have lived here for 30 years. We shouldn’t suffer for the benefit of more homes.”

His wife Julie added: “I don’t want to come across as a NIMBY [not in my back yard] but there is only one way in and one out. You can’t widen these roads. 

“People in the village would need to be given access through the unadapted road. We should be allowed to use that road to Bowlee, we don’t want to become more isolated.

“It will upset the village dynamic. Is there room for another village here, for me the answer is no.”

Stopping on her lunchtime walk with Golden Retriever Bell, Toni Jordan stopped to share her thoughts.

The 39-year-old said: “I’m against it, the village is busy enough as it is. To have more cars coming through, it’s hard to imagine. 

“We moved here about five-years-ago because of the community and nature. There are lots of young families here. 

“You come up here for the space but not far from Manchester and Prestwich. We’re trying to make it better for the families, we’re trying to push the community hall and bring more people in.

“If they come in and build, it could upset the harmony, but you can see both sides. 

“As a community we raised £20,000 to fight against it. When we found out it’s going to go ahead, it was disheartening for many.”

The plans for high-quality new homes form part of the GM-wide Places for Everyone (PfE) plan, which would see thousands of new homes built across Greater Manchester over the next two decades. The idea behind the Simister Bowlee site is to help to meet a critical local housing need and address the affordability crisis for housing key workers and first-time buyers.

If the Simister Bowlee framework is approved by town hall chiefs in Bury later this week, the scheme will go out to public consultation later this month so locals can feedback their views on the future vision for the area.