Next steps for Oldham’s Spindles revamp
The council has been given the green light to demolish the town’s TJ Hughes store, a key component of the redevelopment of the shopping centre it acquired for £9.5m in 2020.
The relocated Tommyfield Market and a modern events space will be built in the space left by TJ Hughes.
Knocking down TJ Hughes is part of phase one of the Spindles plan. The other element of the first phase, which Oldham Council is self-delivering, will see 10,000 sq ft of vacant retail space in Spindles converted into workspace for the council.
This will enable the council to trial new ways of working and test concepts to be rolled out in phase two, when a further 85,000 sq ft of workspace is to be created.
By moving into Spindles, Oldham hopes to free up land elsewhere in the town centre for the creation of homes.
AEW Architects is leading on the design of the Spindles scheme and SpaceInvader is the interior designer.
Hive Planning is project manager and WSP is the structural engineer. A contractor for the demolition work has not yet been appointed.
Spindles is the main part of a wider plan to regenerate Oldham town centre. The scheme could also see the creation of a 5.7-acre urban park and a new theatre.
