Plans to transform Oldham town centre with up to 2,000 much-needed new homes got underway this week, with initial works beginning at Oldham Civic Centre.
Oldham Council has teamed up with award-winning placemaker Muse to deliver the new homes, which will also see a brand-new neighbourhood and park created right in the middle of town.
With a capacity of up to 600 new homes, the Civic is the largest site that will be redeveloped though our partnership with Muse.
While the whole site, including the car park and Queen Elizabeth Hall, will be transformed, we are looking at options to retain the Civic Centre tower; a landmark for Oldham.
Cllr Arooj Shah, Leader of Oldham Council, said: "I’m incredibly pleased to see the start of these works today; which mark a huge moment not just for our town centre, but for all of us here in Oldham.
“This comes after our staff moved out of the Civic Centre into new offices in Spindles; making the site clear for work on the new homes to begin, as well as bringing hundreds more people into our local businesses every day. Our traders in the Spindles tell us they’re already seeing the benefit of this massive rise in footfall, which is fantastic to hear.
As well as 2,000 new homes, our partnership with Muse will bring together all the fantastic projects that are now well underway – such as the transformation of Spindles, the creation of our new markets and events space and the restoration of the Old Library – linking these new developments with better public spaces, including a new park, where people can meet, relax and spend time.
“It’s great to be partnering with Muse as I know they have the ambition, the passion and the commitment to our borough to deliver the new-look town centre Oldham so needs and deserves. And that work starts here. This the biggest housing development coming to our borough and will set the very best standard we want for our new urban neighbourhoods, as well as acting as a catalyst for further investment and development – all building a better Oldham for the future.”
Phil Mayall, Managing Director at Muse, said: "We’re passionate about the incredible opportunity in front of us to reinvigorate Oldham’s town centre and we’re excited to be in partnership with Oldham Council to develop a plan that will deliver the best possible outcomes for the town and its residents.
"The site investigation works signal the start of this this journey to deliver transformative change for the town centre.”
The regeneration of the Civic Centre is being made possible thanks to the redevelopment of Spindles. More than 700 council staff are now in the process of relocating to offices within the repurposed shopping centre, freeing up the Civic Centre site for new homes.
Other sites that will be redeveloped through the Muse partnership include the former Magistrates' Court, the former Leisure Centre and the Tommyfield Market site, which is also relocating into the new-look Spindles.
The partnership with Muse could last for up to 25 years and will mean that brownfield (previously developed sites), in the town centre are built on rather than green space.
Site investigations will be taking place on the Civic Centre car park for the rest of this week. Some sections of the car park will be temporarily cordoned off to enable machinery to operate. Disabled parking bays and electric vehicle charging points will be unaffected and remain open to visitors.
The car park will be operating as normal by the weekend, when three hours free parking is available as usual.