£12m plan aims to bring Storage World Middleton site back to life after devastating fire

A £12m bid to bring the Storage World site in Middleton back to life has been launched, marking a major potential investment in an important part of the town centre following last year's devastating fire.

The proposals concern the Storage World site on Old Hall Street, next to Middleton Arena. The former storage facility was badly damaged by a major blaze in June 2025, which burned for several days and led to demolition of the building. No injuries were reported, although customers and businesses suffered significant losses.

Place North West has reported that Storage World has now launched a £12m rebirth bid for the site. The move comes as regeneration work and planning for the wider Middleton town centre area continues.

Official Rochdale Development Agency updates show that the council and RDA have remained in discussions with Storage World since the fire. In June, the RDA said it was working with stakeholders to develop key principles for the area, including the potential to deliver improvements to Middleton Arena and create a new public space. It also confirmed that discussions with Storage World were continuing with input from Rochdale Borough Council's planning team.

The site is particularly significant because of its position beside Middleton Arena and within an area being considered as part of wider plans for the future of Middleton town centre. Earlier council reports said the outcomes of discussions over Storage World and the arena would feed into wider masterplanning work.

Before the fire, Storage World operated a large self-storage and workspace facility from Old Hall Street. The Middleton operation had previously expanded as demand grew, with the company providing traditional storage alongside space used by small and online businesses.

The 2025 blaze had a substantial impact on customers. Fire crews worked for days at the scene and parts of the building were demolished while firefighting operations were still under way to allow crews safe access. Storage World said at the time that its team was devastated by the impact on customers and the wider community.

The latest £12m proposal therefore represents a potentially significant next chapter for a prominent town-centre site and comes at a time when Middleton is the subject of wider regeneration and masterplanning proposals.

Rochdale Daily will update this story as further planning documents and details of the proposed redevelopment become publicly available.