Did you know that there are wooden cobbles on King St just behind the new public toilets on South Parade Rochdale, I believe they were put down because there used to be a small hospital on King St and they didn't want to disturb the patients with the noise of horse and carriages on stone cobbles, how thoughtful of them!
King St is a small dead end St and right next to the river opening, surely it wouldn't cost much to remove the tarmac and restore the cobbles to their former glory ready for the river opening completion, I think it is a fairly unique piece of road and could easily be blocked off as it is a dead end.