Oldham, Rochdale to share £40m investment package

Oldham Council, with Rochdale Council, will each be given £20m for various local projects, benefitting sport, culture, education, businesses, and housing provision across the two Greater Manchester boroughs.

Funding has come from the government’s community regeneration fund and is the result of the council’s successful investment case to the Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government.

Oldham

The cash allocated to Oldham will be split across seven schemes including £2.5m for a cultural quarter at Oldham Coliseum, £2m for market traders to facilitate their move to vacant units in Spindles, and £5m for the town centre housing delivery partnership.

Arooj Shah, leader of Oldham Council, called the £20m investment a “gamechanger” and said the cash would “help restore pride and hope to [the] borough”.

The civic centre site could house 800 homes in four mid-rise blocks and two taller buildings, next to the converted Civic Tower. Credit: Oldham Council/Muse

Town centre housing delivery partnership

The largest chunk of Oldham’s £20m investment, a £5m package, will be spent supporting the development of a planning strategy, and the associated pre-development costs of four key town centre housing sites, including the Civic Centre, Magistrates Court, Leisure Centre, and Princes Gate schemes.

The Civic Centre is set to deliver up to 838 homes and the Magistrates Court could deliver up to 219 homes. Oldham has appointed Muse as its development partner for the projects.

Princes Gate, a 331-home scheme at what will be a key gateway, and the town’s former leisure centre’s redevelopment into 240 proposed properties will also get financial backing.

It is hoped that the £5m investment will accelerate planning and speed up the borough’s housing delivery.

Districts

Oldham’s five districts will each receive a share of a £4.5m allocation, to be distributed via community-based decision-making, to fund local growth through local decisions.

An additional £600,000 agreed through the Long-Term Plan for Towns will bring the total investment up to £1m per Oldham’s five districts.

Oldham Coliseum is due to reopen in time for the festive schedule. Credit: via Oldham Council

Oldham Coliseum

Due to open in Winter this year after its refurbishment, the £2.5m for the Oldham Coliseum will go into creating a cultural cooperative model in the area surrounding Fairbottom Street theatre and Yorkshire Street.

The funding will be used to bring vacant retail units back into use and income from rents will be used to support the Coliseum’s overheads.

The design of the Spindles redevelopment was drawn up by AEW Architects. Credit: AEW Architects

Spindles

A £2m allocation will be used to enable local market traders to purchase modern, low-carbon, fit-for-purpose equipment to ensure and futureproof the market’s quality.

Larger traders’ relocation into the main shopping centre will also be facilitated, with money being used for refurbishment of the vacant units.

George Street

Already subject to a recent £1m investment, George Street will receive another £1m to cement its position as the town’s premier outdoor marketplace.

Sports and education

A final £5m has been ringfenced for the development of a sports and education complex of which detailed plans are yet to be revealed.

Cllr Shah added: “Every part of the borough will reap the rewards from this vital cash boost, and every part of Oldham society from business, culture, charities, community groups, and other voluntary organisations.

“Most importantly of all, every Oldham person will see the benefits. It’s also great to see the actions recommended by the Oldham Economic Review Board being implemented.”

Broadway Malyan led the design of Station Square, a redesigned gateway into the town from Rochdale Station. Credit: via Broadway Malyan

Rochdale

The £20m allocated to Rochdale will contribute to the Station Gateway development and the regeneration of the former Central Retail Park on Drake Street into more than 200 homes.

Planning permission has already been secured for the scheme, which will involve the development of a public square to welcome visitors to the town and a park and ride facility.

The money will also be spent rebuilding a building at Hopwood Hall College’s Rochdale campus, a scheme that would add a fourth floor for higher education students.

Smaller projects, such as a local arts centre development and the refurbishment of a collection of disused retail units will also be undertaken with the funding.

Alex Norris, local growth minister, said: “Growth is the government’s priority, and we want every person and community across the country to be part of this.

“The regeneration and improvements coming to Oldham and Rochdale will really put Greater Manchester at the forefront of our decade of national renewal.

“With this £40m package we are tackling issues that really matter to the region, rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, this tailored package will guarantee long-term, sustainable growth that means more money in people’s pockets as promised in our Plan for Change.”