The Hollinwood Business District Masterplan
Significant changes to the area around the junction of the A62 Manchester Road and the M60 Motorway have already taken place with the closure of the Roxy cinema, the development of the Northern Counties Office Headquarters, developments at Tweedale Way, Servicecare and at Hollinwood Business Centre. Further development is anticipated as existing businesses grow and new investors move into the area.
The Hollinwood Business District Masterplan is a plan that shows how the area could be redeveloped in the future to improve the local environment and to provide high quality jobs for residents of Oldham. The Masterplan was produced by Roger Tym consultants and was commissioned by OMBC and English Partnerships.
It is part of Oldham Beyond, which is a vision for the future of Oldham and highlights Hollinwood as a key employment site capable of attracting major investment. It is also recognised as one of the most important employment sites with the Greater Manchester Area.
The Masterplan ‘Vision’
The Masterplan sets out the following vision for the future of the area:
‘A new business led district for Oldham – that meets Oldham’s needs for good quality business space in an efficient and attractive environment to support a growing and productive local economy.’
Ideas for Future Development
The consultants have put forward some ideas on how different parts of the area could be developed in the future. These ideas are outlined below:
Hollinwood Bowl (Albert Street area)
The main elements could include:
- A new landscaped office park constructed in a ring around Hollinwood Business Centre;
- A new company headquarters development on the A62 frontage;
- Hollins Road is realigned slightly to create a larger development site around the former Roxy Cinema;
- New housing is proposed to the south along Roman Road, with new green space facing Kaskenmoor school.
- The ideas include a new water feature, based along the line of the former Hollinwood Branch Canal.
- New wind turbines are proposed along the M60 boundary to generate energy for the office developments.
Hollinwood Basin (Oldham Road / Mersey Road North)
The layout could include:
- Office development along the A62 frontage with some retail and commercial development;
- New housing along the Mersey Road North frontage;
- A new water feature, providing a potential link between the Hollinwood Branch Canal and the Rochdale Canal.
Pump Street / Drury Lane
The layout could include:
- A landmark hotel and office development at the M60 / A62 junction
- Small-scale offices along the A62 frontage running towards Drury Lane.
- Retention of the existing industrial area adjacent to the railway.
The Next Steps
A public consultation into the Hollinwood Masterplan demonstrated that there is strong support for the vision of Hollinwood as a ‘new business led district’However, a number of issues were also raised that will be taken into account in developing the proposals further.These included issues relating to:
- open space provision;
- the impact of the proposals on traffic levels;
- the need for facilities for young people;
- the creation of employment opportunities for local people; and
- the impact of any future development on nearby houses
Further work will now be undertaken to assess the feasibility of some of the ideas presented in the Masterplan.
The precise form that development takes in Hollinwood will differ from that shown in the above plans, which are intended to provide a broad framework rather than a blueprint for development.
Change of the scale envisaged in the Masterplan is a long-term process. However, improvements are already taking place in the area, for example:
- Phase 2 extension to Hollinwood Business Centre;
- A commitment to use CPO powers to acquire land in the north-west quadrant (Pump Street);
- Planned demolition of the former Roxy cinema;
- Planning applications for office pavilions at Manchester Road
If you would like any further information on the Hollinwood Masterplan, or would like to comment further on any aspect of the proposals, then please contact either Kieran Cummings (0161 770 5153) or John Billington (0161 770 3007).