Life at the last stop of the M62 before Yorkshire

Sitting on the edge of Greater Manchester, at the foot of the Pennines, sits a town and a village bisected by the M62 motorway.

Sitting on the edge of Greater Manchester, at the foot of the Pennines, sits a town and a village bisected by the M62 motorway.

Milnrow and Newhey are both quaint settings with connections to the historic textiles industry in the city-region, which garnered Manchester the 19th century nickname ‘Cottonopolis’. The cotton trade history is evident in the area through their remaining mill sites still looming over the streets.

The neighbouring town and village were created long before the invention of cars, so when the M62 motorway came trampling through the middle of them in the 1970s, it must have come as a shock.

To this day, residents are still living with the effects of that build – particularly when the motorway closes and diversions take thousands of cars past their homes.

Locals’ patience is being tested to the limits now gas works have led to road closures that have effectively cut Milnrow off from Rochdale. From Monday July 28 to September 1, Cadent Gas will be carrying out essential work to replace the gas mains at the junction of Rochdale Road, Bridge Street and Elizabethan Way.

Locally the road closure has been described as a nightmare. Snaking traffic is at a standstill along Dale Street and Newhey Road during peak times, delaying commuters.

Young mum Rachel, who lives in Milnrow’s town centre centre, said: “I don’t drive, I get a taxi to nursery in the morning to take my little one and then go to work.

“I can’t do that now because of the gas works. Taxis have to go the long way around (through Dale Street and Newhey Road). It’s a nightmare currently.

“I leave at 7.50am to get to nursery for 8am, but if you leave any later you’re just stuck in traffic. If they don’t get it done before schools open it will be chaos.

“The diversion doubles the cost of taxis as well. Everyone has had enough of it all in the village.

Harry Cadman sat on a bench having lunch in Milnrow

“You see huge queues all the way through as everyone is trying to get to work. I think they could’ve done different parts at different times.”

Harry Cadman bikes into Milnrow from Royton regularly just to eat at the chippy, which he says is ‘one of the few good ones left’. Sat on a bench in the town gardens, chowing down on his lunch in the sun, he takes a pause to discuss his commute via motorbike.

“As I came in there were quite a lot of queues going out as a result of the gas works,” the 76-year-old said. “There is always lots of traffic but this has made things a bit worse temporarily.

“It’s a lovely place here. But most of the traffic will be going to Hollingworth lake on a sunny day like today.

“The traffic is what holds this place back as many are just coming through to get to the M62. Before they did the bypass this was the main road, so it has gotten better. The traffic is the only issue.”

That being Milnrow’s only issue is disputed by the shopkeeper of The Do Dig Doggy pet supply. She said the traffic is bad at peak times, but parking is a bigger problem.

“It’s been quieter in the shop and the village has been quiet in recent weeks,” she explained. “It’s had an impact on trade, but it’s summer so the children being off school impacts that as well.

“We have been here about 10 years, traffic hasn’t been too bad in that time. I would say it gets bad around 4.30pm – you can be on this road for about 30 minutes.

“It feels like the area is being cut off from the rest of the borough. But parking is a massive issue.

“We’ve asked for a warden to come because if people can’t park outside the shop they’ll go somewhere else. Cars will be here 10am until 4.30pm and customers will see they can’t park and drive on.

Margaret Gartside with her dog Holly in Milnrow

“The warden would then get people moving into the free car park just down the road. We rely on people bumping up and nipping in.

“If it’s not sorted the independents could start to die off.”

Further down Dale Street, Margaret Gartside was dropping off her dog Holly at the groomers. She believes Milnrow and Newhey simply aren’t designed for this many cars.

“I came through Bridge Street,” the 78-year-old said. “Obviously there is lots of traffic because of the gas works.

“But that’s always the case nowadays. Wherever you go there is so much traffic.

“Little villages and towns like this weren’t designed for the number of cars. So many people are coming though to get to the M62.”

That closeness to the M62 is a downfall for Milnrow and Newhey in terms of traffic; but that transport connection alongside the Metrolink tram stop are also major boosts for residents who are commuting for work.

Additionally, being within close proximity to the Pennines and nature, they are also great locations for those who enjoy the outdoors – with access to countryside and walking trails.

The area also boasts local shops, pubs, and top quality restaurants, according to Coun Andy Kelly. The Lib Dem group leader lives locally and sees Milnrow and Newhey as one of Greater Manchester’s ‘best kept secrets’ because of what it has to offer.

Starting out with his infamous line, Coun Kelly said: “If the Yorkshiremen invade, we’re the first line of defence in Milnrow and Newhey.

“We are the last village in Greater Manchester out of the M62 motorway. People see it on the M62 just before you hit the Pennines.

“Outside of that some know it because they travel through the area to get to Littleborough, Todmorden and Hebden Bridge. Geographically it’s through-route to lots of other places.

“Cars cut through the housing estates to get to the motorway. The volume of traffic coming through the village of Newhey is very high.

“Traffic is the biggest issue in Milnrow and Newhey.”

The representative for Milnrow and Newhey on Rochdale council has called for a masterplan for the area covering the next 10 years to address flooding issues, local eyesores and traffic management.

Coun Kelly says both suffer with traffic, but Newhey does need something to address parking issues. One man who agrees with this is Geoff Sweeney.

The retired truck driver has lived in Newhey for over 40 years, stopping at the end of his dog walk with Bailey, he aired his thoughts on traffic and parking locally.

“When I moved here 40 years ago I was the only person with a car,” the 69-year-old explained. “Now there are two per household.

“The parking situation has become a problem, even with the yellow lines being brought in. The village is not designed for this many cars.

“At night time you can’t sleep because of the noise of cars. When the motorway is shut Newhey is the only way through.

“You get HGVs coming through on these small roads. When that happens you can get a mile and a half of queues.”

Geoff went on to say that most people living locally don’t actually work in the area, so are commuting and adding to the traffic congestion. Even though Newhey has a tram stop, anyone not working in Manchester or on the tram route would usually have to drive to commute to work.

The adopted Newhey man wants to see more public transport options to get more cars off the road – reducing pollution simultaneously.

It is hoped that a possible masterplan for the area could address these issues. Town hall bosses say they are looking at drafting up a plan in coordination with Coun Kelly and other ward councillors in the area.

Mark Robinson, director of economy and place at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “We are aware of the disruption experienced by residents and businesses in Milnrow and the wider Rochdale and Oldham area, following incidents on the motorway network, which is managed by National Highways.

“As the M62 carries more than 100,000 vehicles a day, closures can have a significant impact on the local network.

“We are looking to put together a masterplan for Milnrow and Newhey and have already started conversations with local councillors with a view to moving this project forward.”

What Cadent say
Paula Steer, director of the North West network at Cadent, said: “We have a responsibility to ensure residents have access to a safe and reliable gas supply – 24/7, 365 days a year.

“This includes upgrading pipelines that are reaching the natural end of their working life, like the one under the junction.

“These upgrades also mean big environmental gains, as it reduces methane emissions and enables a move to more renewable gases like biomethane. This is essential for a cleaner future – the UK will need energy to come from a range of sources to meet demand and be sustainable.”