Regeneration of Greater Manchester
The Director of Public Health at Oldham Council, Alan Higgins, will be speaking at our Healthy Cities forum on 9th October at The Crystal Building, London. Alan will focus on the regeneration work that has been planned and discussed to improve healthy living in Greater Manchester.
He says 'art, community and health' are three watch words to improve health and this is reflected in the regeneration planned. Additonally concentration on improving the cycling infrastructure is also important.
According to the Council, work has been ongoing for some time to develop a regeneration masterplan looking ahead to 2035 at five strategic sites totalling 21 acres in size and where it seeks to find better uses that can redevelop and improve the town centre.
The benefits say the Council
'would include the building of new homes, 55,000 sq metres of new and refurbished employment space, and economic activity worth an additional £50 million a year to Oldham’s economy. If every masterplan element is delivered it could be worth an estimated 560 full-time jobs during construction, plus up to 700 new jobs in Oldham.
'This plan is the first step towards creating a town centre that works better and is aspirational for everyone – from residents to families, public sector partners and businesses/traders of all sizes.
The proposals include plans to:
Build a new Tommyfield Market on the existing site with a new 600-capacity multi-storey car park to attract additional visitors - plus complementary new retail/leisure units and quality public spaces.
Create a new Civic Hub using land including the former Oldham Sports Centre. This would be home to agencies from across the public sector sharing accommodation and costs, plus new commercial office space.
A potentially refurbished Queen Elizabeth Hall with a new hotel, offices and homes could go on the current Civic Centre, Magistrates Court and Oldham Police Station sites.
Additional homes could be built at the current Rock Street car park site and the surrounding area'