UK’s incredible new £1bn megaproject of the future - and what it will do for economy

Atom Valley is a £1billion megaproject which aims to create 20,000 jobs and boost Greater Manchester's economic clout.

The public-private partnership scheme is one of the UK's top construction projects, according to Barbour ABI, which values the project at £1bn.

Under the plans, an advanced manufacturing hub will be built across three separate sites in Bury, Oldham and Rochdale.

Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham told The Guardian in January last year that Atom Valley was an effort to level up the region "ourselves".

Atom Valley has been hailed by its backers as offering "the greatest opportunity" to drive economic growth in the north and east of Greater Manchester.

The project recently reached a milestone with plans for a multi-million pound, advanced Sustainable Materials and Manufacturing Centre (SMMC) submitted in July.

Recalling Silicon Valley, the name Atom Valley is also a nod to Ernest Rutherford, a professor of physics at the University of Manchester and pioneering researcher in splitting the atom.

Over the last century, the region has been a hive of invention, seeing breakthroughs in computer programming, atomic physics and graphene, which was developed by two researchers at the University of Manchester.

Part of Atom Valley's role will be to take the latest ideas and turn them into new products via its research centres and manufacturing hubs.

Central to the creation of the SMMC has been Greater Manchester’s Graphene, Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Alliance.

A tie up between manufacturers, universities and public bodies, GAMMA aims to create an advanced manufacturing super-cluster in the North of England which will focus on advanced materials and industrial digital technologies to support advanced manufacturing in the transition to net zero.

Former Siemens senior executive, Justin Kelly, will be the founding CEO of the new centre, which is scheduled to open in summer 2026. He hailed its "transformational" benefits and position at "the forefront of technology".

Neil Emmott, Leader of Rochdale Council said: "Atom Valley offers a once in a lifetime opportunity for truly transformational economic growth.

"We can offer the people living here better life chances, our young people better life chances and our businesses a great community in which to trade and work on a global basis."

Atom Valley Innovation group chair, Professor Richard Jones from the University of Manchester, said: "The submission of planning for SMMC is an important milestone in the work of Greater Manchester to take an innovation-driven approach to transforming the city region.

"It will form a key part of Atom Valley... connecting companies with world class capabilities from the University of Manchester and others."