Oldham has been awarded a Town Deal worth £24.4 million from the Towns Fund, which is a £3.6 billion Government fund to boost local economies, create jobs and help towns build back better from the pandemic.
Oldham was selected to submit a bid along with 100 other towns which have a proud industrial and economic heritage but have not always benefited from economic growth in the same way as more prosperous areas.
Town Investment Plan
The Town Investment Plan was the bid for a Town Deal developed by the Oldham Town Deal Board. The outcome of the bid was confirmed as £24.4 million in June 2021.
- Oldham Town Investment Plan - .pdf
Prospectus
For more detailed information, follow the Towns Fund Prospectus link below:
- Towns Fund Prospectus - GOV.UK website
The Board meets approximately four times a year to oversee delivery of Towns Fund projects and other activity in Oldham town centre.
The four Towns Fund projects benefitting from the £24.4 million Town Deal are the Northern Roots urban farm and eco-park, a new flexible workspace, a new performance space, and the relocation of Tommyfield Market into Spindles.
Agendas and minutes
Agendas and minutes of the previous meetings can be viewed on the following link:
- Oldham Town Centre Board Agendas and Minutes - pdf
- Oldham Town Centre Board Terms of Reference - pdf
- Oldham Town Centre Board Register of Interests
Contact
For further enquiries about the Towns Fund or Oldham Town Centre Board contact:
Board members
|
Stakeholder category |
Name, position - organisation, company or constituency |
|---|---|
|
Independent Chair |
William Lees-Jones, Managing Director - JW Lees |
|
Independent Vice-Chair |
Maggie Hughes, Owner - Zutti Co |
|
Lead local authority |
Councillor Arooj Shah, Leader - Oldham Council |
|
Lead local authority |
Shelley Kipling, Chief Executive - Oldham Council |
|
Lead local authority |
Vacant position - Director of Growth, Oldham Council |
| Lead local authority |
Katie Bennett, The Spindles Manager - Oldham Council |
|
MPs |
Debbie Abrahams MP - Oldham East and Saddleworth |
|
MPs |
Jim McMahon OBE - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton |
|
Local businesses and investors |
Kashif Ashraf, President - Oldham Chamber of Commerce, Greater Manchester Chamber / Co-Founder and Co-Chair - Asian Business Leaders |
|
Local businesses and investors |
Frank Rothwell, Chairman and Owner - Oldham Athletic F.C. |
|
Communities |
Laura Windsor-Welsh, Oldham Director - Action Together |
| Anchor Institutions |
Anna da Silva, Chief Executive Officer - Northern Roots |
| Anchor Institutions |
Mark Gifford, Chief Executive Officer - First Choice Homes Oldham |
|
Anchor Institutions |
Simon Jordan, Principal and Chief Executive - Oldham College |
| Anchor Institutions |
Stuart Lockwood, Chief Executive - Oldham Community Leisure |
| Anchor Institutions |
Steve Taylor, Chief Officer - Northern Care Alliance, Royal Oldham Hospital |
|
Anchor Institutions |
Louie Wild, Member - Oldham Youth Council |
|
Anchor Institutions |
Vacant position - Oldham Coliseum |
|
Arms-length bodies and other non-departmental government agencies |
Richard Brown, Senior Relationship Manager - Arts Council England |
Contact
For further enquiries about the Towns Fund or Oldham Town Centre Board contact:
Frequently asked questions
What is the Towns Fund?
The Towns Fund is a £3.6 billion scheme from the Government designed to deliver sustainable economic growth with a focus on urban regeneration, skills and culture, improved transport and better broadband connectivity.
In some areas, the Towns Fund will take on the additional purpose of supporting the recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Towns Fund prospectus and further guidance can be viewed online at:
- Towns Fund Prospectus - GOV.UK website
The Oldham Town Deal Board, established in February 2020, was responsible for preparing a Town Investment Plan to request funding for projects in Oldham town centre. It is now known as the Oldham Town Centre Board
How much money is available for projects in Oldham?
Oldham has been awarded £24.4 million to deliver four projects that are capable of transforming Oldham town centre and satisfying both the Towns Fund criteria and local ambitions for regeneration.
The projects are:
- Northern Roots: delivering key infrastructure and facilities such as a visitor centre for what will become the UK’s largest urban farm and eco-park
- Making Space for Live Performance: transforming vacant heritage buildings in Oldham’s Cultural Quarter into a sustainable, modern venue for performing arts
- Relocating Tommyfield Market: converting vacant retail units in Spindles Town Square Shopping Centre into a contemporary, permanent home for Oldham’s market traders
- Flexible workspace: converting vacant retail units in Spindles Town Square Shopping Centre into flexible, Grade A quality offices for the private sector
The projects were included in the bid based on their potential to drive sustainable economic growth, deliver excellent value for money and align with local and regional ambitions as expressed in strategic documents, including the Greater Manchester Local Industrial Strategy (2019) and Oldham Town Centre Vision (2019).
All funding allocated to Oldham will need to be contractually committed by March 2026.
Approximately 90% of the funding awarded to Oldham is capital funding rather than revenue funding.
Which parts of Oldham are set to benefit from the Towns Fund?
All four projects approved for funding are located within the Town Deal delivery area, published online at:
- Towns Fund Delivery Area - .pdf
The delivery area covers most of Oldham town centre. It was specified by the Government and extended to include parts of the Alexandra ward at the request of the Oldham Town Deal Board.
What happens next?
The Oldham Town Deal Board voted unanimously to accept the grant offer on 28 June 2021. It went on to develop project business cases and is currently monitoring project delivery