A milestone in Oldham's history

A ‘wonderful’ plan to transform Oldham town centre has been approved by townhall bosses. The ‘Oldham Town Centre Development Framework’ is a 15-year partnership between the council and city developers Muse set on bringing 2,000 homes to the town centre.

Council leader Arooj Shah and members of her cabinet greenlit the scheme at a cabinet meeting on Monday, November 18.

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Coun Shah said: “We need these new homes but they need to be right for the people of Oldham as well as creating opportunities for other businesses. We’re maximising every opportunity we get to make Oldham a better place. And we’re taking our community with us every step of the way.”

And cabinet member Abdul Jabbar voiced his support of the 'wonderful plan' to transform the town centre.

The framework includes ‘benchmarks’ set by the council and through the public consultation process that Coun Shah said will help the council ‘inform decisions’ and ‘hold Muse to account’. It’s part of a masterplan to tackle the borough’s housing crisis and increase footfall for town centre businesses.

Council-owned land across the town is earmarked for development, including Mumps, the Civic Centre and the Queen Elizabeth Hall, the old leisure centre, and the demolished Magistrates Court.

Most of the plots could become home to L-shaped residential blocks built around communal parks, and nearby commercial space for amenities such as gyms, nurseries and cafes, once planning permission is granted.

Councillors also decided to include the development of Prince’s Gate at Mumps in the masterplan, currently in use as a car park. The land has been a sore spot for the council after several development projects - including two with M&S and Lidl - fell through.

Now it could find a new lease of life as 295 new homes across three blocks, subject to planning permission. The blocks would include a mix of private, affordable and social rent.

Councillor Taylor said: “This is a key gateway site for us. (…) The inclusion of princess gate will allow us to push forward with the town centre regeneration masterplan, which is supported by brownfield housing land grant funding of up to £5.5m which has been secured for the site.”

A cabinet report stated that planning applications are due to be submitted in early 2025.