Bold plans to “reinvigorate” the market square area in Ashton have been given the green light by local planning authorities.
Aiming to provide a “high-quality, flexible, and modern” market square in the Tameside town, the newly-approved £11 million plans are designed to lend themselves to range of different functions, according to Tameside Council – with food, drink, culture, and entertainment among the main uses.
One of the stand-out features of the greenlit plans is an impressive new canopy, which will provide a designated undercover area for markets to include “flexible and durable” market stalls and kiosks with seating, and will also open up the space for events and activities.
Designed to “deter anti-social behaviour” with improved lighting and the installation of CCTV, the canopy and kiosks will have views over the town’s listed Town Hall and Market Hall buildings.
It will also look to improve walking routes through to the square in all directions.
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Bold plans to ‘reinvigorate’ Ashton’s Market Square given green light / Credit: Buttress Architects (via Tameside Council)
The revamped social hub is also hoping to be “more inviting” to the local community and visitors.
A range of public realm improvements on Fletcher Square, Bow Street, Warrington Street, Market Street, Market Avenue, and Wellington Road are also set to improve the surrounding areas.
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The plans also include additional green spaces, trees, and planting too, as well as new street furniture and informal play spaces.
📢Plans to reinvigorate Ashton’s Market Square have been given the green light with planning permission granted to move forward.
The green light this week comes after Tameside Council and project team have been engaging with residents, market traders, and businesses in the town for more than a year now through a number of engagement workshops and events in order to “shape the plans”.
Their feedback throughout the process was said to have highlighted the priorities of many residents and visitors.
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“The plans for the Market Square will help unlock the potential regeneration of the town centre and work will start on the square early next year,” commented Councillor Vimal Choksi, who is the Executive Member for Towns and Communities at Tameside Council.
The plans will provide a “high-quality, flexible, and modern” social hub / Credit: Buttress Architects (via Tameside Council)
“We have listened and responded to residents and businesses feedback and will continue to engage with local traders and businesses as we move forward with the exciting plans and bringing in high quality public realm will create a better space for events and help to bring in more visitors to the town centre.”
The £11m revamp is being funded by Levelling Up money awarded by the Government in October 2019.
With planning permission now granted, Tameside Council says it’s aiming for the Market Square scheme to be completed by March 2025.
Featured Image – Buttress Architects (via Tameside Council)
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Major pop star crowns humble rice and three cafe as ‘Jewel of Manchester’ ahead of sold-out gig
Thomas Melia
A beloved city centre takeaway has been given the title of ‘Jewel of Manchester’ by chart-topping UK singer Sam Smith.
Known for hits like ‘Stay With Me’, ‘I’m Not The Only One’ and more recently ‘Unholy’, UK pop-ballad act Sam Smith also likes to drop a food review every once in a while.
Currently on the road with a run of shows in Manchester and London for their ‘To Be Free’ live shows, Sam Smith is stopping off at some of our city’s much-loved spots.
On their food-reviewing account titled ‘Sam Served’, where they adopt the aptly-fitting nickname ‘Ham Smith’, Sam has visited restaurants across the globe – and most recently turned their attention to Manchester’s own This & That.
Smith decided to pop in and grab a cheeky rice and three from long-standing backstreet food business This & That, and it certainly went down a treat.
After sampling their amazing selection of meat, vegetable and vegan curries, the musician crowned this family-run Indian takeaway a ‘Jewel of Manchester’.
The hitmaker described this Northern Quarter Indian eatery as ‘Everything food should be’ and definitely enjoyed all the curries on offer ‘leaving belly and heart full’.
This & That prides itself on affordable and comforting food with its ‘Rice and Three Curries’ starting from just £6 – not bad for a city centre foodie spot.
Sam has racked up an impressive 490k followers via their ‘Sam Served’ profile, with famous faces like Lily Allen, Denise Welch and CMAT all wanting to know the superstar’s foodie thoughts.
After enjoying a curry or three, Sam Smith also made sure to feed their soul to by venturing down to Afflecks and getting lost in the music at Mars Tapes.
Recognised as one of the UK’s only cassette and tape shops, Mars Tapes lets you flick through their crates of physical media and even preview tracks before you buy with its dedicated listening areas.
It’s safe to say that Smith has ‘Latched’ onto Manchester’s independent business scene and we’re here for it.
The London-born artist has just released their latest album Hazel Eyes and is currently amid a UK residency tour with two dates in Manchester’s Albert Hall and eight shows set for London Coliseum.
24-hour bus services are now running across all Greater Manchester boroughs
Emily Sergeant
24-hour bus services are now running across all boroughs in Greater Manchester.
You may remember that back in March, it was announced that every borough of Greater Manchester was set to get a night bus service in what is hoped to be a ‘boost’ to the night-time economy… and now it’s official, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) has launched those 24-hour buses this month, along with a series of other measures.
Oldham, Stockport, Tameside, and Trafford now join the rest of Greater Manchester in having 24-hour bus services, meaning every part of the region will have a night bus operating Thursday through to Sunday.
It’s expected that these new services will help around 625,400 people working in the night-time economy across Greater Manchester, as well as those out enjoying the region’s nightlife, TfGM has said.
The routes which will run around the clock from Thursday until Sunday are:
50 (Salford – Manchester)
216 (Tameside – Manchester)
263 (Trafford – Manchester)
192 (Stockport – Manchester)
83 (Oldham – Manchester)
All Greater Manchester boroughs now have 24-hour bus services / Credit: TfGM
They launch alongside the most significant service changes to the Bee Network since the completion of bus franchising last year – including other new bus routes, and more frequent services across Greater Manchester.
“We want everyone to be able to enjoy everything Greater Manchester offers, without the worry of how to get there and get home,” commented Greater Manchester Mayor, Bev Craig.
“By growing the Bee Network, we’re making it easier than ever for people to use the bus, day and night.
“Our night buses are already providing a lifeline to some of the hundreds of thousands of people who are growing our night-time economy and working in essential public services.”
“Whether people are heading home from a night at the theatre or starting the early shift at a hospital, they can now get on board the night bus as a safe and affordable way to travel.”
Further improvements will delivered from January 2027, and a full breakdown by borough can be found on the Bee Network website here.
Emily Sergeant -
19th September 2023 
