Oldham Council has unveiled a plan to find a development partner to bring forward five town centre sites totalling 21 acres.
The masterplan, which looks ahead to 2035, would see the delivery of new homes, shops and just under 600,000 sq ft of new and refurbished employment space.
Publicly-owned sites that are identified in the masterplan as under-used or no longer fit for purpose include Tommyfield Market, the civic centre, Oldham Police Station, the former Oldham Sports Centre, Oldham Magistrates Court, and the current Oldham Coliseum Theatre. A priority proposal in the plan is to deliver a new Tommyfield Market on the existing site with a new 600-capacity multi-storey car park adjacent to attract additional footfall, alongside complementary new retail/leisure units and public spaces.
A new civic hub is also proposed using land including the former Oldham Sports Centre to host a multi-agency public sector centre providing more effective accommodation and cost sharing, plus new commercial office space.
The current civic centre, magistrates court and police station sites could be the location for a refurbished QE Hall with a new hotel, plus offices and homes.
Additional homes could be delivered at the current Rock Street car park site and the surrounding area.
The local authority is hoping to transform the town centre to offer a cultural and shopping offer and a night-time economy that make it stand out as a destination within Greater Manchester.
Key to that is transforming the area into a “thriving place” where more residents want to live and spend leisure time.
Oldham Council leader Jean Stretton said: “The plan looks to improve connections in and between different sites so that footfall and movement works better. It also strives to increase town centre resident, visitor and user numbers to make it a place that thrives around the clock.
“We have the opportunity to do what other local authorities have done and look to share assets and cut costs with public sector partners to benefit everyone.
“We also have a fantastic opportunity to attract private sector development partners into a joint venture to deliver this scheme, or specific elements of it, and we are confident this will be attractive to them. It is one of the biggest and most ambitious town centre schemes in Greater Manchester.
“Due to the amount of land that is publicly owned, there are relatively few issues around site assembly, and these plans can deliver a return on our investment back to the public purse.”
Subject to cabinet approval on 10 July, Oldham Council will take this opportunity to market by the end of 2017 with a view to appointing a preferred delivery partner by summer 2018.
To send feedback, e-mail Louisa.Clarence-Smith@egi.co.uk or tweet @LouisaClarence or @estatesgazette
