Coogan to be key part of to town's rejuvenation

Scheme will empower locals in line with 'Co-op values'

- BY BETH ABBIT

MIDDLETON is set for a revamp and comedian Steve Coogan will be a key part in driving the change.

New homes and busi nesses, improved roads and a Metrolink stop could all be part of the regeneration.

The changes will be part of the Middleton 'mayoral development corpora tion' (MDC) a public body which will oversee the regeneration. It will see Rochdale council col laborating with Andy Burnham to rejuvenate the town.

Mr Coogan, who hails from Alkrington, will join forces with Cooperatives chief executive Rose Marley to drive the project.

"Middleton is a town I want to help because it's helped me," he says. "It was a great place to grow up and it did a lot for me.

"It's a town really rich in history, the history of peo ple power, and it has a great civil rights history, with social reformers like Sam Bamford coming from this area. It's a place which has a strong sense of its own identity."

Mr Coogan whose grandparents lived on the Langley estate says his years of gigging across the UK taught him that Middleton people 'have got a sense of themselves.

Key to the rejuvenation will be consultation with those residents.

He adds: "The Mayoral Development Corpora tion to me is a very excit ing opportunity for me to put back into a commu nity that was very good to me and helped me in my early years.

"I feel I owe the people of Middleton a debt. That's why I'm happy to be involved and talk to people in Middleton and ask them what they want and what they need.