Fotofacade

Regeneration of an urban town can often be piecemeal - focused on small areas of heritage value - a defibrillatory approach to bringing back a pulse of life into the community. Over in Rochdale the council is taking a radical new approach by providing, quite literally, a stent to the urban heart of the town. They plan to open up a significant length of the River Roch which was culverted over 100 years ago and now lies beneath a concrete forest of pilasters. Yet, one fascinating thing remains - a medieval bridge. Dating to the C13th or early C14th it lies beneath, voussoirs resplendent against the concrete backdrop. Revealing the river will bring new life and new purpose to a town hard hit by the recession. I was asked to... More