Oldham consults on six banner projects
The council and development partner Muse are focusing on half a dozen projects pivotal to the Oldham Town Living masterplan, with a hotel proposal at the Civic Tower among the possibilities.
Consultation is now live and will run until 7 March, giving people the chance to feed back with thoughts on the proposals for key sites including the long-problematic Prince’s Gate.
Aside from that scheme, the focus is on the civic and residential quarter mapped out in the town centre development framework pushed forward in 2024.
Plans are lined up for the former magistrates’ court, the former Manchester Chambers close to Oldham bus station, the former leisure centre, the Civic Centre, and its neighbour the Civic Tower.
The proposals as they stand:
Civic Tower: A change of use application is in the works to repurpose the tower for commercial uses, with a modern hotel one possibility. Any development will look to preserve distinctive characteristics, with a distinct focus given to making sure the project knits into the more residential-focused neighbourhood emerging around it.
Civic Centre: Up to 838 homes are plotted for the site at the heart of the civic and residential quarter, in what is proposed as a dense neighbourhood. Draft drawings show four mid-rise blocks, and two taller buildings next to the Civic Tower, rising up to a potential 15 storeys.
Varying heights are floated for the civic centre residential offer. Credit: Oldham Council/Muse
Former magistrates’ court: With the court building demolished in 2019, plans for it are coming forward aligned to those proposed for the civic centre and Manchester Chambers schemes. Outline plans are in the works for 219 homes on what is now an allocated housing site. Designs suggest two angled blocks, 10 storeys at the tallest point, with a green route running the centre.
Former leisure centre: Bound by St Mary’s Way and Rock Street, the old leisure centre site is positioned next to Tommyfield Market, where a linear park is proposed. Already cleared and currently in use as surface parking, 270 homes are being mapped out here in two linear blocks, keeping open views of the listed Oldham Parish Church. Nine storeys would be as tall as this project would go.
Former Manchester Chambers: Retention and refurbishment is the name of the game for this commercial complex, close to the bus station and civic centre campus. Commercial space, offices and public realm are to be advanced as the development partners seek to bring added vibrancy for the site and its neighbours.
Prince’s Gate: With plans from the likes of M&S and Lidl to anchor the site close to the Mumps Metrolink hub now a thing of the past, Oldham’s draft local plan looks for 331 homes at what is a key gateway. A full planning application is in the works for a scheme also including ground floor retail and public spaces. Indicative images show three blocks, with generous planting around the site. The scheme could be 16 storeys at its tallest.
Most of the focus is on the civic and residential quarter. Credit: Turley
On the matter of the proposed building heights and massing, Alex Vogel, senior development manager at Muse, told Place North West that “all six sites have been sensitively designed with the wider context and environment in mind, including the Civic Centre and the neighbouring Civic Tower”.
This more focussed consultation follows a seven-week period of engagement last summer formulating the Oldham Town Living development framework, which was endorsed by the council’s cabinet in November.
The framework outlines a strategic vision for up to 2,000 new homes, unlocking nearly 25 acres of council-owned land.
Vogel said: “Through our partnership with Oldham Council, we’re committed to delivering a transformational programme that meets the needs of local people.
“This consultation is an important opportunity for the community to provide feedback and ensure the proposals reflect their aspirations.
“We’re extremely excited to be bringing all Oldhamers on this journey with us and we encourage everyone to have their say.”
- View the consultation here
Leader of Oldham Council, Cllr Arooj Shah added: “This is a major milestone in Oldham’s regeneration journey, and it’s vital that our community has the chance to share their thoughts on these proposals.
“We want to hear from as many people as possible—this is your town centre, and your feedback will help shape its future.”
Public engagement will take place both online and in-person, with opportunities to ask questions and provide feedback directly to the project team.
As well as the online consultation, the process includes a live online webinar on Monday 3 March and an in-person drop-in event on Wednesday 5 March at the Spindles in the town centre.
All six planning applications are expected to be submitted before the end of this March.
The professional team includes:
- Hawkins\Brown (architecture)
- Planit (landscape architect)
- Donald Install Associates (heritage architect)
- Turley (strategic communications)
- CBRE (planning)
- Arcadis (quantity surveyor)
- Max Fordham (MEP engineer and acoustic engineer)
This is fantastic. All that extra footfall will give a huge boost the town centre. I hope the design quality is right up there with the best across Greater Manchester. Really looking forward to seeing more!
By Optimistic Oldhamer
The Civic centre in Oldham is a building of architectural merit. The Civic tower should be bulldozed before the centre, it is hideous. The Civic centre has some well-managed gardens around it too.
By Elephant
Cost is a major concern. How can Oldham Council justify the money? The planning process neglects the infrastructure of the areas around Oldham especially in the Saddleworth villages. Wildlife is also disturbed. Diggle or Uppermill does not have the infrastructure to cope with the 70 houses being built at the front of the new Saddleworth School. Perhaps the Council should focus more on updating and improving the infrastructure of the Saddleworth Villages before permission to build is passed.
Oldham Council gets a substantial amount of Council Tax from the area then spends it in the centre of Oldham. Oldham used to be an excellent place to shop however, in recent years this has deteriorated substantially. I very rarely go into Oldham yet I used to go weekly.
Another 6th Form College In Oldham with the same aims as the 6th Form College built and opened in 1992, very successful in meeting the needs of 16 – 18 age group is ridiculous and wasting valuable resources.
By Anonymous
How much is cost
By Derek Hester
Oldham is obsessed with building houses. The stores and banks are closing and have closed at an alarming rate. We should be looking to places like Bury who have a thriving shopping centre and markets.
By Anonymous
I was born in Oldham and live in Bury. Bury town centre is an absolute state. It is dirty and the pavements are all broken, and apart from the market the shopping facilities are poor. Why Bury is constantly held up as a success story always puzzles me? Oldham has a much more open, and attractive town centre.
By Elephant
A ghetto is being proposed in place of the Civic Centre., with a hotel there also. Who will want to visit Oldham let alone stay overnight. Oldham is/was a market town with shops and a market hall.( to be demolished). I bet the architects don’t live in the area.
There will be no carparks except the multi storey which is not safe for female drivers on their own.
ICC???
By Anonymous
Where will the car parks be.
By Anonymous
Why are you considering building all these homes in the centre of Oldham. Queen Elizabeth Hall should be a place of Entertainment for the People of Oldham
By Anonymous
Here is Oldham (of all places!) thinking, very late in the day, that it can become a residential hot spot like Manchester city centre, with people lining up to live in hideous tower blocks or “monstrous carbuncles” in it’s centre. Have the powers that be not realised that the fast accelerating trend is, even for today’s widely varied population mix, to desire to move out of the centre as soon as they are financially able to? IF it ever happens, it will simply become over time a ghetto occupied by some of the worst non contributors to our society who will be attracted to that type of environment. I am sure neighbouring boroughs like Rochdale and Tameside will approve though, they are planning the quality developments that will attract those people that want to get out of Oldham, or new people who want to move into the North Manchester area, and conversely Oldham centre will attract the people that they do not want. A large part of the economy of Oldham centre is today built around a particular trade that, it seems, many people dreaming up these schemes must have had too much of the products thereof!
By Anonymous
Love this, get it built. Will breath new life into Oldham and the shops will follow. More people will help town feel safer too. The council should find a new place for the market, make it better than before, and celebrate our heritage as a market town
By Jerry Dobson
Before all this you need to put in place doctors, dentist, school’s and all other things i/e jobs unless all of them are to be claiming benefits
By Frederick Shires
2000 homes in a high density development. No mention of supporting infrastructure. This will be a ghetto akin to the 1970s developments in Moss Side. Fortress Oldham totally disconnected in design from the rest of the borough.
By Anonymous
The prospect of a few taller residential buildings in Oldham seems to be scaring the horses a bit.
Just get it built. In reality this is a modest scheme that will bring some much needed life and vitality to the town centre. There really shouldn’t be much debate about it.
By Anonymous
Further consultation, with more detail, on a broad strategy first promoted five years ago, which I believed met general approval (save the creation of the town centre park.
Overall I support the conceepts but question the height of the tower blocks adjacent to the Civic Centre tower. As a hotel its USP must surely be the views from the top floors across Manchester and the Cheshire Plain to the Clwydian Mountains.
By JMTS