Rossendale’s historic arcade’s fate highlighted after Green by-election win
Help for small businesses and creating more children’s amenities have also been highlighted by people in Waterfoot.
People in a Rossendale town say restoring historic buildings – including a much-loved arcade – and shifting a temple-style ‘pagoda’ which ‘appeared from nowhere’ are among their priorities, following a Green Party by-election win.
Help for small businesses and creating more children’s amenities have also been highlighted by people in Waterfoot. They spoke about issues that matter to them after Green councillor Laura Diamond was elected to Rossendale Council for Hareholme & Waterfoot. Reform UK came second in the by-election.
This week, some people mentioned immigration or Westminster politics as factors in their voting. But many raised other topics with the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
Waterfoot is located between Rawtenstall and Bacup, which are both seeing large regeneration projects around markets and town centres. But Waterfoot is included in a new £20m Pride in Place government deal also covering Rawtenstall and Crawshawbooth.
Rossendale Council has a Waterfoot master-plan with ideas including restoring the historic Trickett’s Arcade, art murals, better street furniture, local railway tunnel illuminations, a new bus turning area and creating a path by the River Irwell.
‘PLANS AND REALITY ARE DIFFERENT’
Paul Rowan runs the Rowan’s butcher shop in Waterfoot. He said: “I saw no candidates during the by-election campaign. Nobody visited me. Waterfoot could be a lovely little town and the people here are lovely. This shop has been here for nearly 30 years and we have good customers. But it’s about time Waterfoot had some money spent on it, like other towns.
“Trickett’s Arcade and the ‘pagoda’ in the car park behind this shop are two things a lot of people talk about. Their old arcade is mentioned in Rossendale Council’s master-plan. But what politicians say and do can be two different things. We read about plans but the reality can be quite different. People want to see real progress with the arcade.
“The pagoda was built on part of the car park behind here, meaning some parking spaces were lost. But that impacts on local shops, with less parking for customers. People are also unclear whether the pagoda had planning permission? It just seemed to appear.”
Rossendale Council has published information about creating a temporary events space in Waterfoot and creating a new town square. It was approached for further comment.
‘MORE NIGHT-LIFE AND THINGS FOR CHILDREN’
Maz Aytac runs the Grand Royal Bistro & Bar, a historic hotel which was closed for years but reopened in 2024.
Mr Aytac has Kurdish-Turkish roots but has lived in Britain for 15 years. He was previously a partner at a Rawtenstall tapas restaurant and is linked to other restaurants in Chorley, Bolton and Middleton.
He said: “I don’t know much about politics and I’m not a big fan of politicians. But we have a good relationship with Rossendale Council and local councillors. From day-one, councillors have been supportive about the Grand Royal’s reopening including Michelle Smith, the mayor.
“We now have 15 staff here. We’ve reopened the ground floor and have plans for the bedrooms and a function room. There used to be a club in the basement years ago, which was well-known.
“But Waterfoot needs to become more lively, especially at night. It can look a bit ‘dead’ after 6pm. It would be good if there were a few more restaurants and bars, like in Rawtenstall.
“Generally, I think some good work has been done in Rawtenstall and hopefully similar progress can be made in Waterfoot. But we need more support for small businesses, around rates and less taxation, more car parking and more facilities generally for young people.
“Here, we put on offers and events for families with children, such as at Easter or on Sundays. If I was a councillor, I’d create more children’s facilities across the valley – playgrounds and other things.”
REFORM SUPPORTERS
Sheila Huxley-Birt and husband Alan Huxley said they support Reform UK. They mentioned topics such as immigration, frustration with Westminster and the challenges on some local high streets. But they said a few changes could make a huge difference to Waterfoot, especially in renovating old buildings.
Sheila said: “The big issue is Trickett’s Arcade. It used to be beautiful and was once home to dress, flower and sewing shops. But it really needs to be renovated and it wouldn’t cost a lot of money. If it was sorted, Waterfoot would look totally different.”
Alan said: “I complained to English Heritage about Trickett’s Arcade but I never heard anything back. In the past, Jake Berry raised it when he was the Rossendale MP. Old buildings need looking after. A few years ago, we lost an old mill when the Kidderminster Footwear site burnt down. ”
Sheila added: “With the Grand Royal’s reopening, we are starting to get the community back. I’ve met people here who I haven’t seen for years. And that’s thanks to Maz, the owner. If we didn’t have places like this, we’d have to go to Rawtenstall. But people want local things.”
In Waterfoot, she said areas behind the main street along the River Irwell need attention. “It’s great that the Grand Royal owner has tidied-up the front and back. But there are takeaway businesses further along with flues and pipes at the back, which look awful. It’d be good to get those back areas cleaned-up.”
COMMUNITY HUB
Neil Murphy and partner Disha Westell run the Waterfoot Yard cafe, mini-art gallery and shop at Bridge End House on Bacup Road. They want to develop the council-linked building into a community hub with various activities and spaces. They gave up their previous careers to focus on it.
Neil said: “The hospitality industry is tough at the moment, including things like VAT on businesses. Financial pressures on small businesses are a challenge. And the public are reluctant to go out because of rising costs. It’s a tough time for teenagers and young people too.
“In the by-election, I had a hunch the Green Party would win . The Green candidate who is now a councillor, Laura Diamond, comes here for a coffee sometimes and has held meetings her. But this venue is neutral and we’re open for everyone. We have customers from all sides of the political spectrum.
“Rossendale people seem pretty interested in local politics. There have been well-attended meetings here about all sorts of topics, including planning and tree cutting. There’s been debate about whether some trees are diseased or not? People are moving to Rossendale because they like the towns and rural landscape, but some have been unhappy about trees being cut.
“But one big issue is the pagoda. There have been a few meetings about that and pretty-much everyone seems to be against it.”
Disha added: “The pagoda was put into the car park but it’s not being used properly. If it was put in a park, that would be better. That would also help with town centre car parking. ”
But overall, they both felt positive about Waterfoot and Rossendale.
Disha added: “There’s a lot happening here. But people don’t always know what the area offers and we want to push it more. Rawtenstall is increasingly well-known for food, the market, bars and restaurants. It’s really busy in good weather.
“But Waterfoot has great potential too. We want it to become a hub for local artists, craftspeople and makers of things. Waterfoot has an art trail every spring, hosted by the Horse & Bamboo theatre. It includes various venues and artists showing their work, music, poetry, gardening and landscaping activities. People are moving to Rossendale from all over and it is within easy reach of larger towns and cities. It’s a good place despite the challenges.”