Oldham town centre is set to be “transformed” after being granted £24.4m from the Towns Fund for 2021.
The £3.6 billion government pot was announced in January – with the money released to boost local economies, create jobs and help towns build back better from the pandemic.
Oldham is set to use its share of the funding to create the UK’s largest urban farm and eco-park – providing 160 acres of high-quality green space for community use.
Part of the money will also be used to turn Tommyfield Market into a purpose-built facility in Spindles Town Square Shopping Centre (where flexible workspace will also be created).
The council is also launching the ‘Making Space – For Live Performance’ project – designed to expand the existing performing arts offer in scope, scale and quality. The development will be situated within a redeveloped Old Post Office and aspires to be a net-zero carbon enterprise.
ADVERTISEMENT
Council leaders say the funding will be used with a focus on sustainability – placing green recovery at the heart of town centre regeneration.
The money was secured by Oldham’s Town Deal Board – a group dedicated to developing the borough’s Investment Plan.
ADVERTISEMENT
Oldham is set to benefit from new funding for four key projects / Image: Wikimedia Commons
Cllr Arooj Shah, Leader of Oldham Council and Cabinet Member for Economic and Social Reform, said: “As Oldhamers we know our town has fantastic potential, and we are pleased that the Government have endorsed our vision for the town centre.
“Oldham bid for a competitive £41m for five ambitious projects that will make the town centre a place that mixes retail, work, homes and leisure, and will help establish Oldham as the greenest borough in Greater Manchester. Securing funding for four out of five is a great result.
“We will now look at alternative routes to delivering the fifth project – a Minewater Heat Network which could convert water from flooded coal mines into energy to create an environmentally friendly power source for the town centre.”
ADVERTISEMENT
He added: “These projects will not only boost regeneration, they will also create much-needed jobs, apprenticeships, training and opportunities to support our recovery from the pandemic as sustainably as possible.”
The £24.4m Towns Fund funding follows Oldham’s successful bid for £10.7 million from the Future High Streets Fund – which will support other local regeneration projects such as making the town centre more accessible for pedestrians and cyclists, launching a new food hall in the Old Town Hall’s Egyptian Room, and opening a business hub for digital start-ups.
Peter Holbrook CBE, Chair of Oldham Town Deal Board and Chief Executive of Social Enterprise UK, said: “We’re delighted to have received this funding which will realise the ambition for change in Oldham.
“The Town Deal Board is made up of private and public sector partners who all share a combined vision for Oldham to be a town where business and enterprise can thrive and where people want to live, visit, relax and work. The projects within our bid will help us to deliver that shared goal.
“My thanks goes to the Board and everyone who has played their part in securing this important funding for the borough. We look forward to continuing to work together to bring the projects to life and help Oldham realise its potential.”
Oldham
Police urgently appeal after 90-year-old woman killed by reversing car in Failsworth
Emily Sergeant
Police are urgently appealing to the public for information and witnesses after an elderly woman was killed by a reversing car last week.
At around 3pm on Wednesday 7 January, officers from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) were called out to reports of a collision between a car and pedestrian on Albert Street West in Failsworth, and when they arrived on the scene, they found that a woman, aged 90, had been struck by a reversing vehicle.
The woman was promptly taken to hospital in a ‘serious’ condition.
However, despite the best efforts of medical professionals, she sadly later died from her injuries earlier this week (13 January).
#APPEAL | Officers from our Serious Collision Investigation Unit (SCIU) are appealing for information after a woman in her 90s was struck by a car on Albert Street West, Failsworth on 07/01/26
Following the incident, a 37-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of driving offences, but he has since been released on bail.
As officers progress their investigation at pace, GMP’s Serious Collision Investigation Unit (SCIU) are continuing to appeal for information and witnesses, urging the public to come forward if there’s any way they can help.
The appeal goes out to anyone who believes they saw the vehicle driving before the collision, witnessed the incident itself, or has dashcam footage or CCTV of the incident.
Can you help? You can contact police via 101 or the Live Chat service at gmp.police.uk, quoting log 1936 of 07/01/26.
Alternatively, you can contact Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
Featured Image – GMP
Oldham
The Boots recycling scheme where you can get £5 off every shop
Thomas Melia
UK high street retailer and healthcare shop Boots has launched an innovative recycling scheme that entitles customers to £5 off their future shopping trips.
If you’re still struggling to come up with a New Year’s resolution, why not try a spot of recycling and earn some money off your next cosmetics shop while you’re at it?
Started in 2020, the Boots Recycling Scheme allows Advantage Card holders the opportunity to get money while also being more conscious about how we recycle our used health and beauty products.
Their third-party app, Recycle at Boots, uses a ‘Scan2Recycle‘ system where users can upload items from various beauty brands by taking a picture of the empty packaging before identifying its form.
This scheme takes items that can’t usually be recycled at home, such as lotion pumps, toothpaste tubes, lipstick, mascaras, travel minis, make-up palettes and more.
Once you have five items approved, head over to your nearest participating Boots store, drop off your empties and scan the QR code on the deposit box.
After you’ve followed all these steps, a voucher will appear entitling you to 500 Advantage Points when you spend £10 in-store at your nearest location, and not only do you have £5 worth of points with your name on it, you’re also an eco-warrior.
There’s even a dedicated section of the app to recycling empty medicine and vitamin blister packs, which gives customers 100 Advantage Points when they spend £5 in-store.
Brilliant.
Credit: Publicity pictures (supplied)
Items dropped into these deposit boxes are taken to MyGroup, a recycling and waste management service which works around the clock to help divert waste from landfill.
These empties will be washed and traditionally recycled into a material called MyBoard, a construction board material most similar to plywood, with lots of different uses.
Nearest Boots locations in Manchester running the Recycle at Boots scheme:
Manchester Market Street – 32 Market Street, M1 1PL
Salford Regent Park – Regents Park, M5 3TP
Manchester Didsbury – 736-740 Wilmslow Road, M20 2DW
The Trafford Centre – 10 Peel Avenue, M17 8BD
Trafford Retail Park – Neary Way, M41 7FN
If you’re up for getting money off your next Boots splurge while also helping recycle cosmetics containers and more, you can download the Recycle at Boots app and find your nearest HERE.
The Manc -
9th June 2021 
