Oldham Council is continuing to invest in Royton, improving how people move around the town centre and making it a safer, cleaner and more welcoming place to visit.
Following the restoration of Royton Town Hall and Library, the next stage of investment focuses on Rochdale Road and surrounding streets, improving public spaces and travel for everyone who lives, works and shops in the area.
This project is part of the Royton–Oldham–Ashton Quality Bus Transit (QBT) corridor, delivered by Oldham Council and Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) as part of the Bee Network. The scheme is funded through the government’s City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS).
Improvments
The improvements will include:
- Safer pedestrian crossings and upgraded junctions.
- New and improved bus stops and shelters with better lighting and CCTV.
- Step-free access to buses and wider pavements.
- New seating, planting and cycle stands.
- Better connections for walking, cycling and wheeling.
These changes will make it easier and safer to travel on foot, by wheelchair or mobility aid, by bike or by bus, while supporting our local businesses by encouraging more people to visit and spend time in Royton.
Benefits for Royton
- Safer, easier journeys: Upgraded crossings, wider footways and better junction layouts.
- Improved public spaces: More planting, seating and lighting to make the town centre more welcoming.
- Better public transport: Modern bus stops and shelters for quicker, more reliable journeys.
- Healthier, cleaner travel: Encouraging walking, cycling and wheeling will help improve local air quality.
- Supporting the local economy: Improved access to the market, shops and community spaces will bring more people into the town centre.
- Building on success: This project continues the investment that restored Royton Town Hall and Library, preserving the town’s heritage while improving how people move around it today.
You said, we did:
We listened to what residents and businesses told us during engagement and consultation events in 2024 and early 2025. Your feedback has directly shaped the final designs:
| You said | We did |
|---|---|
|
You were concerned about removing all pedestrian guard rails. |
We’re keeping guard rails at key crossings where people are most likely to meet traffic, while using bollards and landscaping elsewhere to improve safety and accessibility. |
|
The right turn from High Barn Street to Rochdale Road is important for local access. |
The right turn will stay. We’re removing the dedicated lane to make crossings safer, and retiming lights to keep traffic flowing. |
|
Pavements need to stay wide for accessibility. |
We’ve adjusted planting and seating so pavements remain clear and easy to use. |
|
Bus stops and shelters need to be safer and more comfortable. |
The new stops will have raised platforms for step-free access, better lighting and new shelters. |
|
Reliability and travel times were key concerns. |
We’ve reviewed traffic flow at major junctions and retimed signals to improve reliability for all road users. |
Next steps
Overview map
The proposals for Royton are more developed than the proposals for Oldham, which is why a consultation exercise for Royton and an engagement exercise for Oldham have taken place separately. Engagement is a less formal exercise that comes before consultation.
An engagement exercise for Royton took place in spring 2024, followed by a consultation in February/March 2025. A public consultation for the more detailed Oldham proposals is planned for 2026.
- Map 1: Covers proposals for the town of Royton and is located below the overview map.
- Maps 2 to 7: Cover proposals for the rest of Oldham and can be found on the Oldham webpage: Improving journeys: Oldham | Bee Network | Powered by TfGM
Map overview showing the Rochdale Oldham Ashton Bus Corridor. Areas along the A671 proposed for improvement works are highlighted. These are Map 1 Royton Town Centre, Map 2 High Barn Street to Shaw Road, Map 3 Sheepfoot Lane to Featherstall Road North,
Maps of detailed proposals for Royton
The two maps below show the same stretch of highway in Royton. Map 1a focuses on proposals related to guardrails, bus stops, and the carriageway. Map1b focuses on proposals related to types of paving such as tactile paving and hazard paving. Following both maps there is a bullet point text summary of proposals across both Royton maps.
Map 1a: Royton Town Centre
Map showing proposed improvements on Rochdale Road in Royton Town Centre. Improvements proposed are explained in accompanying text and include a new Oldham-bound bus stop, green infrastructure and improvements to High Barn St/Middleton Road Junction.
Map 1b: Royton Town Centre
Map outline showing proposed surfacing on Rochdale Road in Royton Town Centre. Improvements proposed are explained in accompanying text and include Yorkshire/Clay paving on footway along Rochdale Road and green space adjacent to the carriageway.
The changes proposed for Royton Town Centre include:
- Pedestrian guard rail retained around the pedestrian and cycle crossing opposite the Town Hall and also around High Barn St junction.
- Introduction of greenery and improved street drainage along both sides of Rochdale Road between Radcliffe Street and the new southbound bus stop with Yorkshire clay paving.
- Cycle stands and new bench seating installed at the entrance to Market Street.
- New Oldham-bound bus stop with shelter to be installed next to 22 Rochdale Road to enable better access to the town centre for bus passengers.
- Oldham-bound bus stop Radcliffe St (Stop A) to be removed.
- Existing Rochdale-bound bus stop to be upgraded with seating and new shelter.
- Existing pedestrian and cyclist crossing outside the Town Hall to be retained.
- Ornamental lamp columns outside the Town Hall to be retained.
- Bollards to replace some of the existing pedestrian guardrail to discourage vehicles from waiting and loading, while improving street environment for pedestrians and safety for cyclists on carriageway.
- Existing parking and loading restrictions on Rochdale and Oldham Road to be retained. i.e. no loading at any time.
- Removal of right turn lane from High Barn Street to Rochdale Road to widen footways and reduce the time it takes for pedestrians to cross. This means that less time is required for the ‘green man’ phase and the junction will be more efficient for all traffic and buses. It will still be possible to turn right from High Barn Street to Rochdale Road.
- Tactile blister paving at access points to all of the push button controlled crossings.
- Corduroy hazard warning paving at access points to existing shared space for cyclists and pedestrians at the toucan crossing (from Byron Street to Market Street) and to the north of the crossing.
- Corduroy hazard warning paving to mark the end of existing shared space for cyclists and pedestrians at the point where the pavement narrows at the northeast corner of the Co-op car park.
Visualisations of the proposals for Royton
Visualisation of new bus layby:
Artisits impression of new bus layby
Concept of changes in Royton:
Artists impression of changes in Royton
Frequently Asked Questions:
What responses did you receive during the Royton public consultation in February and March 2025?
A range of views were received during the public consultation, with 457 survey responses and 113 attendees at two drop-in sessions.
Many residents supported the key benefit, improving journey times along the Rochdale, Oldham and Ashton route and welcomed the upgrades to walking, cycling and wheeling routes around Royton Town Centre.
Some respondents raised concerns about the removal of pedestrian guardrails and about right turns from High Barn Street to Rochdale Road. These issues have now been addressed in the final design.
Why are you proposing to remove sections of pedestrian guardrail?
Evidence shows that removing continuous guardrails can help reduce driver speeds, making streets safer for people walking, wheeling and cycling.
Following feedback, guard rails will be kept at key crossing points where people are most likely to encounter traffic. These will be supported by landscaping and bollards to maintain safety and improve the look and feel of the town centre.
This approach helps reduce “street clutter” and gives pedestrians and cyclists more space to move safely.
Is the option to turn right from High Barn Street onto Rochdale Road being removed?
No. You will still be able to turn right from High Barn Street onto Rochdale Road.
However, the dedicated right-turn lane will be removed so pedestrians can cross more quickly and safely.
Traffic lights at this junction will be retimed to improve traffic flow for all road users.
When will the Royton town centre improvement works take place?
Some advance works will take place in November 2025 to prepare for the main construction.
The main improvement works will begin in January 2026 and continue through to autumn 2026.
Work will be carried out in phases to minimise disruption.
Who will carry out the improvement works and will there be any disruption?
The works will be delivered by Oldham Council and our contractors, Casey, in partnership with TfGM.
We’ll do everything we can to reduce disruption, and access to the market, shops and library will remain open throughout the works.
Updates will be shared regularly through:
- Oldham Council’s Facebook page: Facebook
- Letters to affected homes and businesses
- Posters and information boards in Royton Library and around the town centre
How will the improvements benefit me and my community?
Once complete, Royton town centre will be:
- Safer and more accessible for everyone, whether walking, wheeling, cycling or taking the bus.
- Cleaner and greener, with improved air quality and more pleasant public spaces.
- Better connected, linking people to jobs, schools, shops and services across Oldham, Ashton and Rochdale.
- More vibrant, encouraging people to visit, spend time and support local businesses.
This is about creating a town centre that works for everyone, one that celebrates Royton’s heritage while investing in its future.