VIDEO | Oldham showcases town centre ambitions
A new-look Spindles shopping centre and a 5.7-acre urban park feature in a fly-through video released by the council to show what the town centre could look like in the future.
Other highlights of Oldham’s regeneration strategy include:
- Bringing the town’s library back into use
- Creating a theatre within a newly established cultural quarter
- A new home for Tommyfield Market where TJ Hughes once was within Spindles
- Improvements to public realm.
The main element of the vision is the overhaul of the 450,000 sq ft Spindles Town Square Shopping Centre. The council bought the retail complex at a discounted price of £9.5m last year and is working with AEW Architects to draw up plans for its redevelopment.
Oldham plans to self-deliver the project, as revealed by Place North West in October.
The scheme includes converting retail units on the upper floor of the shopping centre into workspace, and creating a food court to serve the relocated Tommyfield Market.
A planning application for the Spindles project could be lodged before the end of the year.
“We have lots of exciting plans for Oldham town centre but we know it can be difficult to visualise just how everything will come together,” said Cllr Arooj Shah, Oldham Council leader and cabinet member for economic and social reform.
“We have created this new video to put everything into perspective; to show you our major projects and how buildings and places could look in the future. Some of the changes will start to take shape really soon, including the redevelopment of Spindles, which will see building work start on site early next year.”
