Muse wins £550m Oldham transformation
Hot on the heels of securing a £250m contract to deliver the next phase of Stockport’s regeneration, the developer has been picked by another Greater Manchester authority to bring forward 2,000 homes across a clutch of town centre sites.
Oldham Council has appointed Muse on a 15-year contract – which could be extended by another 10 years – to redevelop plots totalling 24 acres in the town centre.
The total value of Muse’s Oldham contract could be up to £550m, according to tender documents published by the Oldham Council last year.
Oldham Council said Muse “demonstrated a thorough understanding of the ambition and scale of Oldham’s regeneration plans”, adding that the company’s track record with similar projects and “a highly experienced team headed by born and bred Oldhamer Phil Mayall”, were among the reasons for the firm’s selection.
“I am truly excited that we’ve secured a partner from Oldham, who knows Oldham so well, and is just as passionate as me to make our borough a better place for all of us who call Oldham home,” said Cllr Arooj Shah, Leader of Oldham Council.
“We and Muse will be creating a new town centre for not just the people who live here now, but for generations to come,” she added.
“These homes will create new communities right in the heart of Oldham, which is a brilliant opportunity not just for the Oldhamers who will get the chance to live there, but also for people across the borough who can enjoy greener, more attractive, and more enjoyable places to shop, eat, drink and spend their leisure time.”
Aside from Stockport, where Muse – as part of the English Cities Fund – was recently selected by the council to deliver the 1,000-home Stockport 8 project, the developer is perhaps best known in the North West for its work in Salford.
There, ECF has led on the delivery of Salford Central and recently lodged a planning application for the first phase of the £2.5bn Salford Crescent masterplan.
“As a business, we’re all about placemaking,” said Phil Mayall, managing director of the North West at Muse.
“We create kinder places in our towns and cities that focus on quality, community and sustainability. It’s regeneration with people at its heart that will celebrate the proud town of Oldham, its rich heritage, along with its aspirations for the future.”
A master agreement has been negotiated during the procurement process, which includes establishing a joint project board that meets quarterly, and the partnership between the council and Muse will now formulate more detailed strategies and business plans for sites in the town centre, expected to take around six months.
Oldham Council was advised on the procurement process by CBRE and Brabners.
A new park features as part of Oldham’s town centre vision. Credit: Our Studio
The official launch of Oldham Council’s hunt for a development partner began last summer after the authority had opted to self-deliver part of the town centre regeneration – the redevelopment of Spindles.
That Spindles scheme, designed by Aew Architects, proposes turning the 450,000 sq ft town centre shopping centre into a mixed-use space featuring a new 50,000 sq ft Tommyfield Market and offices.
Aside from Spindles, Oldham identified several opportunity sites across the town centre that it wants to see redeveloped by Muse.
The first tranche of sites includes:
- Oldham Civic Centre on Rochdale Road, which has capacity for up to 600 apartments
- The former leisure centre site on Union Street, which has capacity for up to 250 apartments
- The former Magistrates Court & Manchester Chambers, which has capacity for up to 225 apartments.
These sites have a combined development value of between £150m and £250m.
Additional sites that could also be redeveloped include:
- Land on Bradshaw Street – up to 150 apartments
- Metropolitan Place Site – up to 75 apartments
- Land on Mumps and Wallshaw Street – up to 100 apartments
- Land on Southgate Street and Waterloo Street – up to 250 apartments
- The former Tommyfield Market – up to 350 apartments.
These sites have a combined development value of £150m to £200m.
As well as residential, which Muse will deliver, the council’s plans for a rejuvenated town centre include a new park and theatre, and the transformation of the Old Town Hall’s Egyptian Room into a modern food hall.
