Purpose

To report the outcome of the consultation and to seek Cabinet
approval to create the MDC.

Content

The Cabinet considered a report of the
Director of Economy and Place, which sought to update on the
outcome of the public consultation on Atom Valley Northern Gateway
Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC) that had been launched in
March, this year. The report also sought to inform of the
operational and governance arrangements for the MDC and to request
approval for the Council to act as host authority for the MDC.
 
The Head of Strategic Growth was in
attendance to present the information and to address the questions
and the comments of the Cabinet Members.
 
The Officer informed that the Council
was working in partnership with Bury Council and the Greater
Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) to progress the delivery of
the Northern Gateway sites, providing a significant boost to
employment opportunities, infrastructure and economic growth
locally.
 
Following the Cabinet resolution in
March 2025 and subsequent approval by the GMCA, a consultation had
taken place on the proposal to create a Mayoral Development
Corporation (MDC) to accelerate the delivery of the sites,
reflecting their collective importance locally, regionally and
nationally.
 
During the consultation period, the
Communities, Regeneration and Environment Overview and Scrutiny
Committee, at its meeting held on 20
May 2025, had considered the Cabinet
report dated 18th March 2025 and the approval to proceed to
consultation on the creation of the Atom Valley 
Northern Gateway MDC. The key points raised by the Committee had
been noted within today’s report.
 
The Officer continued informing that
the implementation of the Atom Valley Northern Gateway MDC would
provide a single, focussed body for engagement with Government and
key stakeholders to work towards securing the comprehensive and
joined up delivery of physical and social infrastructure to support
over 1,200,000 square metres of employment floorspace and 3,000 new
homes to achieve the ambitions of the Northern Gateway Strategic
Development Vision and the Council’s priorities.
 
Resolved:

1.   
That the outcome of the ‘Atom Valley Northern Gateway
MDC’ consultation, as detailed within the Consultation Report
(Appendix 2) be noted;

2.   
That the creation of the MDC be approved;

3.   
That the MDC objectives be endorsed and the proposed governance and
operational arrangements, as set out in this report and the draft
MDC constitution (Appendix 3) be noted;

4.   
That the principles of the governance and operational arrangements
for the MDC be noted; it also be noted that these would continue to
evolve in advance of relevant legislation to enact it by the
Secretary of State (SoS);

5.   
That authority be delegated to the Director of Economy and Place in
consultation with the Assistant Director of Legal, Governance and
Coroners, with the Leader of the Council and relevant portfolio
holders, to approve the final governance, objectives and
operational arrangements for the MDC;

6.   
That it be agreed that the Council act as the host authority for
the MDC, with Bury Council to act as the partner authority, subject
to a 2 year initial review from incorporation and with further
reviews to take place every 5 years thereafter;

7.   
It be noted that corresponding recommendations are to be presented
to Bury Council, and that, if endorsed a further report will be
presented to the GMCA and GM Mayor to seek final endorsement of
these proposals. Accordingly, referral to the Secretary of State
and establishment of the Atom Valley Northern Gateway MDC is
contingent on these respective decisions;

8.   
That it be noted that, following endorsement by GMCA, the Mayor and
the SoS a further report would be presented to Cabinet outlining
the operational arrangements for hosting of the MDC here in
Rochdale, its associated operating costs and to confirm how these
costs will be shared and funded between the MDC partners.
 
Reason for decision:
In March 2025, Cabinet had endorsed the
creation of an MDC as the preferred  delivery
vehicle for the Northern Gateway and approved consultation on the
proposal, along with the boundary within which the MDC was proposed
to operate (Appendix 4). This consultation had now concluded with
the outcome and associated recommendations included within this
report.
 
The MDC was considered to be the most
appropriate delivery mechanism to achieve the Strategic Development
Vision for Northern Gateway, endorsed by Cabinet in November 2024
and which had informed the proposed objectives of the MDC.
 
MDCs were intended to be democratically
controlled public authorities, retaining local accountability
whilst providing delivery and governance stability in the long
term. The Atom Valley Northern Gateway MDC would be tasked with
boosting the profile of the Northern Gateway programme and as a
single institutional platform, the MDC would have the ability to
streamline private sector engagement and convene the public sector,
with potential enhanced powers in respect of land assembly and
financial incentives for accelerated delivery.
 
In line with the above, if endorsed by
Cabinet, the council would host the MDC
with Bury Council to act as the partner
authority for an initial period of 2 years
with reviews every 5 years thereafter.
The operational resource costs of the MDC would be shared equally
between this council and Bury Council.
 
Alternatives considered and
rejected:
That the ‘Atom Valley Northern
Gateway MDC’ is not endorsed and would therefore not proceed
to implementation. Alternative delivery mechanisms would need to be
revisited, however as outlined in the previous cabinet report and
above, an analysis of alternative options had been undertaken with
the MDC being the preferred delivery mechanism.
 
In the event the MDC was not endorsed,
the council and partners would continue to work collaboratively
through current established governance arrangements. However, the
benefits of the MDC as a delivery mechanism would not be achieved
and the economic growth benefits arising from the Northern Gateway
development would not be maximised.