Work starts on Oldham town centre's new 2,000 homes

Plans to build a new neighbourhood and park in the middle of the town have begun with initial works starting at Oldham Civic Centre this week.

Oldham Council has teamed up with award-winning placemaker Muse to deliver around 600 new homes with the Civic earmarked to be the largest site for the redevelopment.

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While the project includes transforming the car park and Queen Elizabeth Hall, the council said it is looking at options to retain the Civic Centre tower which stands as a "landmark" for Oldham.

The works have also been made possible thanks to the redevelopment of Spindles with more than 700 council staff in the process of relocating to the new offices in the repurposed shopping centre.

CGI suggests what the site will look like with hundreds of new homes (Image: Oldham Council)

In turn, this will free up the Civic Centre for new homes.

Other sites that will be redeveloped through the Muse partnership include the former Magistrates' Court, the former leisure centre and the Tommyfield Market site, which is relocating into the new Spindles.

The partnership with Muse could last up to 25 years and will mean that brownfield or previously developed sites in the town centre are built on rather than green space.

Site investigations will be taking place on the Civic Centre car park for the rest of the week and some sections of the car park will be temporarily cordoned off to enable machinery to operate.

The redevelopment site from above (Image: Oldham Council)

However, the car park will be operating as normal on the weekends with three hours free parking available as usual.

Meanwhile, disabled parking bays and electric vehicle charging points will be unaffected, remaining open to visitors.

Councillor Arooj Shah, leader of Oldham Council, said: "I’m incredibly pleased to see the start of these works today; which mark a huge moment not just for our town centre, but for all of us here in Oldham.

“This comes after our staff moved out of the Civic Centre into new offices in Spindles; making the site clear for work on the new homes to begin, as well as bringing hundreds more people into our local businesses every day.

"Our traders in the Spindles tell us they’re already seeing the benefit of this massive rise in footfall, which is fantastic to hear.

Cllr Arooj Shah said the start of the works mark a 'huge moment' for the redevelopment (Image: Oldham Council)

"As well as 2,000 new homes, our partnership with Muse will bring together all the fantastic projects that are now well underway – such as the transformation of Spindles, the creation of our new markets and events space and the restoration of the Old Library – linking these new developments with better public spaces, including a new park, where people can meet, relax and spend time.

“It’s great to be partnering with Muse as I know they have the ambition, the passion and the commitment to our borough to deliver the new-look town centre Oldham so needs and deserves. And that work starts here.

"This the biggest housing development coming to our borough and will set the very best standard we want for our new urban neighbourhoods, as well as acting as a catalyst for further investment and development – all building a better Oldham for the future.”

Phil Mayall, managing director at Muse, added: "We’re passionate about the incredible opportunity in front of us to reinvigorate Oldham’s town centre and we’re excited to be in partnership with Oldham Council to develop a plan that will deliver the best possible outcomes for the town and its residents.

"The site investigation works signal the start of this journey to deliver transformative change for the town centre.”

What do you think of the Spindles development?

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