Tameside presses on with £17m Denton refresh

Work on the first phase of public realm improvements is due to complete in March, after the council agreed a masterplan for the town.

Designed by Planit with input from Civic, PLACED, Placemarque, SFP, and the council, the masterplan features a series of ‘quick wins’ and longer-term initiatives geared towards breathing new life into the town by focussing on its public spaces.

The proposals will involve the planting of more trees, the introduction of more than 1.1-kilometres of active travel routes, and improved wayfinding to better promote the town centre.

These will be delivered through Tameside Council’s £17m Levelling Up Fund award, alongside additional financial support from Transport for Greater Manchester.

As one of the National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Heritage Places, Tameside will also have the ability to bid for between £10,000 and £10m to further support the project.

Some of the quick wins identified by Planit include improving connectivity between Civic Square and Victoria Park by relocating parking bays, adding rain gardens, and bringing in inclusive eating and planting. Maintenance work at Victoria Park will also improve the space in the short term, with updated heritage boards and more displays of community artwork designed to boost civic pride.

Over at Manchester Road, modal filters will be put in to reduce traffic and potentially create a pocket park. The road’s junctions will also be redesigned to prioritise pedestrians, footpaths will be widened, and trees will be planted.

“The plans represent a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform Denton town centre,” said Cllr Andrew McLaren, Tameside Council’s deputy leader and executive member for growth, housing and homelessness.

“They reflect what residents told us they want, including better public spaces, improved transport links, and a town centre that celebrates local identity. It will be great to get these early works underway and see changes happening soon.”

The wider scheme will be delivered in phases through to 2028, according to the council.

Proposals in the masterplan include the following, as per a council report:

• Reinvigorate Manchester Road as a destination and route for all modes to encourage investment in the local economy and community
• Maximise public realm, plant native trees to provide a green character and reduce traffic speed to encourage social gathering and activity in pocket spaces on side streets
• Reinstate Crown Point Junction as part of the historic centre by rebalancing the street space and ensuring safe pedestrian connectivity
• Extend Civic Square into adjacent street spaces
• Re-imagine Market Street as an activated link to key destinations – Manchester Road, Victoria Park, Hatters Food Hall, Denton Town Hall, and St Mary’s Catholic Church
• On Stockport Road, create an active and green street to attract new businesses and increase a sense of life on the street
• Provide new public space on Queen Street that provides a new setting for Festival Hall, connects the pedestrian bridge, is the location for a new cycle hub and enhances sense of arrival from Crown Point Retail Park
• Deliver climate resilient interventions to create green links and connections to Victoria Park along Gould Street and Victoria Street
• Create the local ‘loop’ around Denton town centre that encourages a modal-shift from car to cycling
• Transform Duke Street, Park Road and Kynder Street into child-friendly school streets that are safe and encourage children to walk, wheel and cycle
• Update and provide new wayfinding to inform people of local links and connections between destinations

Read the masterplan.