Have your say on plan to transform town centre
AMBITIOUS PROPOSALS FOR MAKEOVER OF OLDHAM
RESIDENTS are being urged to have their say on ambitious plans to transform Oldham town centre.
Town hall bosses revealed a new ‘masterplan’ for the town in June, which outlines a regeneration of 21 acres and aims to bring hundreds of new homes, offices and jobs to the area.
A formal consultation on the scheme will be launched on Friday and the public will be able to comment.
Among the proposals are the redesign of Oldham’s famous Tommyfield Market, a new 600-space multi-storey car park, and a new civic building on the Lord Street site of the former Oldham Sports Centre.
It has also identified sites including Oldham Civic Centre, Oldham magistrates court, Oldham Coliseum Theatre, and Oldham Police Station as ‘under-used or no longer fit for purpose.’
These sites could be the location for a new-look Queen Elizabeth Hall alongside a hotel, offices and homes.
Additional homes could go on the current Rock Street car park site and the surrounding area.
Council chiefs say the plan aims to ‘look ahead’ to 2035, and that the new homes and 55,000 sq m of new and refurbished employment space could be worth an additional £50m a year to Oldham’s economy.
They also estimate that it will create 560 jobs during construction, and as many as 700 following completion.
Councillor Jean Stretton, leader of Oldham Council, said it is ‘one of the biggest and most ambitious town centre schemes in Greater Manchester.’
“This is the biggest forward planning exercise we’ve ever had for Oldham town centre,” she said. “It’s exciting and it’s about the kind of place we want it to be in the future.”
Council chiefs are urging local people to have their say on the plans, and a formal consultation exercise is due to launch on Friday.
An event will be held in the Egyptian Room in Parliament Square on Friday from 10am to 5pm, and on Saturday, September 16, from 10am to 3pm, where people will be able to submit their comments.
Once the consultation process is over it is anticipated that a development partner will be selected in summer next year, and work will start in Spring 2019 with a development delivery period of 10 to 15 years. From Monday, people will also be able to leave feedback online – visit oldham.gov.uk/ masterplan.