The deadline for applications for the opportunity is 11 August. Credit: via project prospectus

Oldham’s hunt for £550m development partner heats up 

A 25-year contract to redevelop a clutch of key sites totalling 24 acres in the town centre and deliver 2,000 homes is the opportunity up for grabs. 

The total value of the contract could be up to £550m, according to tender documents published by the Oldham Council. 

The official launch of Oldham Council’s hunt for a development partner follows a market engagement exercise carried out earlier this year. 

The authority has identified several opportunity sites across the town centre that it wants to see redeveloped. 

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.

Some additional third party land could also factor into the equation. The opportunities on third party land could be worth up to £100m. 

Oldham Council is looking for a development partner that can “demonstrate long-term public-private partnership working approaches on major regeneration projects”, according to a project prospectus drawn up by architect SimpsonHaugh. 

The deadline for applications is 11 August. 

Another key element of the redevelopment of Oldham town centre is the reworking of Spindles shopping centre. 

In June, plans to overhaul the complex were approved and Willmott Dixon has been appointed to deliver the project. 

The 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.

Your Comments

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I hope the end product looks more imaginative.

By Observer

And the market demand for this number of apartments is what exactly?

By CM

Load of codswallop. People need houses not apartments.

By A Cynical

Apartments are on the way out, this is OLDHAM not Manchester, people want family houses, the disasters financial and on the ground in Oldham centre have been going on for 50 years. The former owner of Spindles euphorically got out selling it to the council and losing £30 million, Rochdale have got the right idea, quality family houses in nice green areas away from the town centre but next to motorway links and railway stations. Any developer who gets involved in this risking money of their own would be mad

By More Likely

Where is this council and planning office/planners coming from. Why are they all apartments? Who are we housing and why? Everyone knows that Tower blocks don’t work. The heart of Oldham has been ripped out by this Labour Council over years and years of mismanagement. Hang your head in shame councillors and planning officers. You are a disgrace.

By Anonymous

The town needs family homes,not apartments with gardens etc, more bungalows for our aging population, to cram the town centre with mass crowding of people is a disaster,

By Anonymous

There are plenty of houses all over London, that housing type makes up at least 80% of Oldham’s total stock. Nothing wrong with trying something new, and residential-led regeneration has worked in cities and towns all over the world – closest of all in Manchester! It might just be what Oldham Town Centre needs. Be open minded.

By Anonymous

This could be transformational for the town.
Apartments are exactly what Oldham needs to diversify its housing offer; bring more people into the town centre to support shops and services; and also as a convenient, alternative location to access the huge amounts of jobs being created in central Manchester, but retaining people’s everyday spending in Oldham.

One thing Oldham is not lacking is cheap houses although it may lack affordable modern family housing. But the place for this is towards the outskirts of Oldham not in the town centre which would be an incredibly wasteful use of land. Rochdale has got the right idea and it seems Oldham is finally following suit.

By Anonymous

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