We don’t want new park say, shoppers
PROPOSALS to build a new 5.7-acre park in a town centre have not been popular with shoppers in the town centre.
As part of ‘The Big Oldham Conversation, the council has outlined its ambitions for the centre of the town, laying out several projects they hope will positively impact the borough.
With plans to move Oldham Coliseum to a redeveloped Old Post Office and former Quaker Meeting House, a new event space and archive centre in Spindles, and hopes to bring the Old Library back into use, there’s plenty to think about with the new ideas.
However, two of the most commonly discussed, and most controversial, of these plans involve the relocation of Tommyfield Market into the former TJ Hughes unit of Spindles, and the redevelopment of the existing market hall.
Oldham council has now confirmed they plan to use the Tommyfield site and the former Oldham Sports Centre on Lord Street to build several new homes and a brand new 5.7 acre park.
With the new plans for Oldham town centre out for consultation, the Manchester Evening News headed down to the market to see what shoppers thought of the proposals.
We first spoke to 89-year-old Brenda Pickett and 86-year-old Elizabeth Sharpe, who have been coming to the market for years, and are open to the plans as long as they can help the trader’s thrive.
Brenda said: “We used to like the market but what we know is gone.
“Whether it’ll be better in Spindles, I don’t know. It’ll be a big change – we lived through the fire but nothing inside is like how it used to be.”
Elizabeth added: “We’ve been coming here for years, it was a great market back in the good old days.
“It’s quite sad, it’s a pity to think it might all be gone. If they make it better though, then it might be OK.”
Other shoppers weren’t so keen on the plans. Brenda Collins, 55, said: “I couldn’t care less what they do with it, they could knock it all down and start again for all I care.
“It’s all absolutely rubbish anyway, there’s no shops.
“Maybe if they get some shops in here it’ll be worth coming to but at the moment I try to stay away – there’s nothing here for me.”
Several people have raised safety concerns over a park in the centre of town, as they believe combining two areas that typically see higher-thanaverage levels of anti-social behaviour could lead to trouble on the streets.
Others feel like the addition of a new park in such close proximity to the existing Alexandra Park is redundant.
Marian Derbyshire, 70, wasn’t convinced that any of the proposals should go ahead.
She said: “It’s rather a large park in the middle of the town.
“To be honest, the market should stay where it is, I’ve just walked through to the post office and that’s been dreadful, it had very long queues and nowhere to sit down – it’s very hard on my back to shop in such a cramped environment and it won’t get any easier when stalls move in.
“Our town centre’s gone a bit downhill unfortunately too.
“I get a bit nervy and on edge when I’m here because you don’t know who’s around, and a park won’t help that.”
Several people we spoke to liked the history of Tommyfield Market, which has had a market hall on site for over a century.
Gavin, 34, thinks it would be a shame to let go of that heritage.
He said: “I don’t think it’s a good idea in all honesty, we used to have the old Victoria Market hall but it burnt down to the ground.
“I reckon the way it is at the moment should be left, I don’t see the point of moving it.
“I think shutting the market is just the wrong decision.”