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Summer 2021Baillie Street Quarter

Rochdale town centre’s haven of independent shops receives a new identity as the Baillie Street Quarter

A historic street with several Grade-II listed buildings, Baillie Street is home to independent shops, bars and restaurants, plus several ginnels including Bull Brow, The Butts Avenue and The Bank steps.

Now the key route between the Riverside Shopping Complex, Yorkshire Street and the Exchange Shopping Centre, Baillie Street is being rebranded as the Baillie Street Quarter due to its unique sense of place.

The Business Improvement District (BID) team has been carrying out a variety of improvements along Baillie Street to complement the council’s improvement works at The Butts Avenue.

The works include: cleaning street cabinets; installing hanging baskets and planters; jet washing shops, doorways and door entrances; painting doorways; removing disused signs; and relocating commercial bins to a less prominent location.

“When a place has a unique and distinctive sense of place, it becomes memorable and in order to help define the identity of this area a series of small scale, yet important, changes are proposed,” said Paul Ambrose, BID Manager.

“Interventions include installing Baillie Street Quarter signage at key entry points and working with the businesses to provide them with branded materials which they can use.

“The new Baillie Street logo incorporates the entrance to the former William Deacon’s Manchester and Salford Bank which lies at 12 Baillie Street. This entrance is one of the key features of the street, providing an eye-grabbing presence for those passing through.

“The logo is to be adopted by the Baillie Street independent traders, which will contribute to the sense of the street as a destination in its own right.

“There is still a lot of work to do but it is exciting to see the progression of this much-loved and vibrant street.”

Sarah Bleasdale, owner of Heaven Scent, 3 Baillie Street, added: “As a new business, the welcome and support I have received from the other businesses on Baillie Street has been amazing.

“The street is full of beautiful buildings and I really love the new branding for the area and it is something I am looking to adopt and use.”

Paul Ambrose added: “If you are interested in opening a business in the town centre, please contact the Rochdale BID Team by emailing paul@rochdalebid.co.uk.

“We at the BID will give you as much support as we can.”