SMMC granted planning permission

Posted by on 4 Nov 2024

Planning permission has been granted for the Sustainable Materials and Manufacturing Centre (SMMC), which will be located in Atom Valley, one of six growth locations in Greater Manchester (GM) and includes significant parts of Bury, Oldham and Rochdale local authority areas. It is a vast, dynamic area of 17 million sq. ft. flexible employment space which once fully realised will offer 20,000 new highly skilled roles within world-class businesses. It offers the greatest opportunity to deliver transformational economic growth in the north and east of the GM conurbation and improve people’s lives

The centre which has 2,724 m2 net floor area, will be located at the Metrolink tram stop at Kingsway Business Park and will include laboratory space, workshops, metrology space, design and analysis studios, a lecture theatre, meeting rooms, flexible workspace for start-ups, office space for manufacturers and a café. It will be an inherent part of an existing ecosystem which supports the development and commercialisation of smart intelligent machinery and advanced sustainable materials and Made Smarter technologies. In addition to supporting Innovation Accelerator funded programmes like CEAMS, the Centre of Expertise in Advanced Materials and Sustainability, , SMMC will host a range of RTOs and programmes that will support the Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham’s ambitions to build a world class cluster of advanced materials and manufacturing in Atom Valley.

The SMMC will create a step change in GAMMA’s ability to be able to provide businesses with the right support at the right time and provide a route for key advanced manufacturing initiatives to be sustainable for the long-term. It will provide a single point of entry to the GAMMA ecosystem, not just for businesses located in Atom Valley in the Boroughs of Rochdale, Bury and Oldham but also across Greater Manchester and the North of England.

The SMMC will focus on the three main activities central to GAMMA’s strategy:
• Sustainable Materials in Manufacturing;
• Industrial Digitalisation;
• Advanced Machinery;

All of which are underpinned by AI/Machine Learning.

Councillor Neil Emmott, Leader Rochdale Council said: “I am thrilled that the SMMC is making such great progress and look forward to seeing this visible example of our commitment to realise the vision for Atom Valley become a reality.

Councillor Danny Meredith, Cabinet member and portfolio holder at Rochdale Council said:
“It is fantastic news that planning permission has been granted for the SMMC. The centre will bring a wealth of opportunities to both the residents of the borough of Rochdale and businesses. I’m looking forward to seeing the centre which will be complete in Summer 2026.