The council is seeking to establish a mayoral development corporation to break through barriers to the transformation of the town centre, similar to the one that has propelled Stockport’s regeneration ambitions.

Rochdale Council’s cabinet will meet next week to approve in principle the formation of the Middleton Town Centre MDC.

It is hoped that the model could help with land assembly and “galvanise market interest” in Middleton, according to a council report.

Rochdale Council believes Middleton is ideally located to capitalise on the catalytic impact of Atom Valley – the proposed 17m sq ft employment development in the north of Greater Manchester that is also earmarked to benefit from MDC powers – but that various obstacles currently stand in the way.

These include “development constraints, market failure and viability issues”, according to the report.

Fragmented land ownership is also a barrier to development, as is the “comparatively small scale” of Rochdale Council’s land interests.

These hurdles are stymieing development and putting off the private sector.

Spanning roughly 200 acres and incorporating the town’s shopping mall, the Middleton MDC would seek to overcome some of these barriers.

“[The MDC] has the ability to bring together a combination of relevant development and land assembly statutory powers with a unique profile to galvanise market interest and support engagement with the private sector to deliver the council’s ambition for the town,” the report states.

Rochdale put its ambitions for Middleton on paper in 2022, creating a masterplan for the town.

Ideas contained within the masterplan included a 120,000 sq ft residential-led, mixed-use scheme on land between Eastway and Wood Street, and a 100,000 sq ft office-led development on the site of the town’s former post office and police station. Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has previously stated his desire to create a Metrolink spur connecting Middleton with the Bury and Rochdale lines.