Design Your Town Centre - Have your say!

During February 2026 half term, we are delivering a free, four-day programme in Rochdale to do just this.

As well as influencing and designing the future of your town, the workshops will be a great way to find out more about careers in places and designs, such as architecture and planning, and what you can do with your future.

We are PLACED and we bring people together to create better places.  As a social enterprise and experts in engagement, community facilitation and education, we believe that when it comes to the places where we live, work and play, everyone deserves the opportunity to be heard.

We're working with Rochdale Borough Council and Rochdale Development Agency to launch this exciting new programme that puts young people at the heart of shaping Rochdale Town Centre.

This initiative is all about giving young people the tools, confidence, and opportunities to influence the spaces in which they live, learn, and hang out in. Through hands-on workshops, creative challenges, and real-world design experiences, participants will explore how towns are built and how their voices can help shape Rochdale’s future.

Moving into February Half Term, a four-day Academy Programme in Rochdale Town Centre will bring together 30–40 students (Years 9–12) to work in teams and develop design ideas for the town centre and finally in March, the newly opened Square Gallery in Town Hall Square will host a public exhibition of the students’ work as part of Rochdale’s Youth Arts Festival which will also act as a grand finale for the borough’s year as Greater Manchester Town of Culture.

This programme is designed to open career pathways in the built environment for young people, ensuring they have access to the skills and opportunities needed to shape the places around them. It also aims to capture youth perspectives that can inform planning decisions across the borough, and to feed their ideas directly into the next stages of Rochdale Town Centre’s development.

If you’re in Years 9–12 and interested in joining the Rochdale Partnership Academy in February half-term, please apply via the link HERE.  

If you are interested in getting involved, the deadline is February 1st 2026.