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The future of Oldham starts right here, right now
Reporter: Karen Doherty
Date online: 16 August 2010
Council chief: In five years time Oldham will be a very different place, with a lot more to offer.
AS neighbours Bury show off their shiny new town-centre development Oldham’s council boss Charlie Parker admits: “We have done a lot of talking and not a lot of walking.”
It’s a frank assessment of Oldham by the man at its helm. And if anyone can make sure Oldham does the walking, it is chief executive Charlie Parker.
“What there needs to be is a different approach to how we attract investment in town centres like Oldham,” added Mr Parker.
He was responsible for Liverpool ONE, the £1 billion rebuilding of the Paradise Street area of the city which started in 2004.
The largest retail scheme in Europe at the time, it brought more than 1.6 million square feet of new shopping space to the city along with leisure, exhibition and conference facilities, two hotels, a new bus station, a new public park, offices and apartments.
Completed between 2008 and 2009, the 42.5 acre scheme has 36 individually designed buildings and is a much-needed link between the waterfront and city centre.
But Mr Parker said: “One of the things people forget is that regeneration is a very long-term thing. You can’t create success overnight, you have to put the right building blocks in place.”
In Liverpool’s case it took more than ten years to achieve, 18 months alone for Mr Parker to write the development proposals.
“And that was in the good times when there was money in the market place and investment opportunities,” he added.
“There won’t be another Rock or another Liverpool in ten years because there is isn’t the type of appetite to put £300 to £400 million into a new retail centre at the moment.
Finance is crucial in the current economic climate and Oldham is part of the Evergreen regeneration fund set up with £20 million of European money.
It aims to fund projects crucial to the region’s economy by attracting matched funding from the public sector for projects, which will in turn generate revenue to be spent on more schemes. The aspiration is to grow the fund to £400 or £500 million.
Mr Parker is also reappraising the town to get those building blocks in place, looking at documents such as the Oldham Beyond report published in 2004. This was a 15-year vision to transform Oldham — but Mr Parker admitted that “not much” had been done to achieve it.
Why is a question he says he cannot answer; he joined Oldham Council two years ago from English Partnerships, where he was director of investment and performance.
Instead, he is considering what does and doesn’t work in the town centre. And a key element is making sure things such as leisure and the market are in the right places, and that everything links together.
“People do not frequent parts of the town centre,” explained Mr Parker.
“It is not connected and that was the problem in Liverpool. There was a great wasteland between the edge of prime retail and the waterfront.”
Mr Parker believes that vital to getting this right is the arrival of Metrolink, which will transform Union Street from the town centre’s back door and regenerate Mumps.
The development of the education quarter, with the University Campus Oldham and the new regional science centre, also brings different consumers.
One thing Oldham town centre doesn’t need, Mr Parker insists, is a new shopping centre like The Rock. The Spindles Town Square has fewer empty shops than other centres in the region and has been doing better than Rochdale, Tameside and Stockport.
Oldham also already has many of the new retail names in Bury, like Debenhams, H&M and Primark.
Instead, Mr Parker said Oldham needs fewer pubs and clubs with vertical drinking (the “remove the chairs and pack ’em in” approach) and more leisure and culture; thinning out the takeaways and having more family restaurants.
All of this will help attract much-needed family entertainment and Mr Parker said: “We are not going to get a cinema to come in on its own, they want to know what else there is going to be there.”
So what will Oldham be like in a few years’ time?
“We are never going to be a Bury. We are going to be Oldham and Oldham is fine. But we have got to be clear about what we want in Oldham and we have got to be clear about achieving it.
“This is the time when we are doing our thinking and we are starting to do our walking.
“In five years’ time Oldham town centre will be a very different place. It will have a lot more to offer.”
And perhaps, most importantly, Mr Parker added: “We have got to start saying Oldham is a great place. I think it is fantastic. I call it the hidden gem.”
Comments
Let us all hope that someone up there in the office on the hill has the sense to realise that one other priority the town needs - is a Sports Stadium fit for the people and for everyone involved in any type of sport throughout the town.
Clearly the people of Failsworth - where is that exactly ? are against OAFC moving to their area and Lancaster Park, with the say so and go ahead of the Council, it could be a start - Before the remaining Amigo - saddles up and rides out of town as well.
Keep cutting the services and the town will be a lot different in 5 years, not for the better.
*sigh*
I'll believe it when i see it
I wish Mr. Parker well & agree that we have more than enough "pack 'em in" bars. I'd like to see cafe/bars as in Europe with outside seating (pedestrianise the whole town centre if needs be). I don't see why we can't be like Bury, price market stalls & business rates at an affordable level & the customers,shops & traders will come. Give a discount to those selling local produce/services, espescially down Yorkshire St towards Mumps to encourage new business & make it less off putting.
“We are never going to be a Bury." would have been a scandalous thing to say 10 years ago - unfortunately it is now blatantly obvious.
No market - no fabulous shopping centre - no life - no hope - no chance!
Oldham Town Centre R.I.P.
fast forward 5 years. Parker will be long gone and oldham will be worse than it already is.
This is not news to the people who actually LIVE in the town. Residents have been saying for years we need a leisure complex as well as a good mix of shops, restaurants etc. What we don’t need is more £ shops the amount we have I believe is a good representation of the level of deprivation within the town. If you think Oldham is such a great place Mr Parker then come and live here and really get a feel for the town and what is needed.
It would be interesting to see what vision C.Parker and crew have in place for the next five years. As any basic business enterprise realises the vision needs to be set, documented and published in advance plus KPI's (key performance Indicators)set and followed, open also to scrutiny and challenge to correct if not advancing in the correct direction or manner. Then there are clear action plans with set dates and time lines, again holding accountable parties responsible. no idea on this? call me.
What Oldham needs is VISION and this can only come about by bringing in professionals that have actually travelled the world and understand both business and how to correctly plan to budgets set. What we have in Oldham are civil servants (the latter being exact) who have a cradle to grave mentality and could not have any vision with even the strongest lenses imagineable. Hire the Oldham expat guys that have actually done something with their lives and can differentiate political jargon or not.
"We are never going to be a Bury."
That's ambition for ya. Oh great leader.
I can totally agree with the sentiments of all the above. I moved from Oldham to Reading back in 92. Reading at the time was not great, but has since undergone a total makeover and is now an attractive place to live. Low and behold...one of the major facets being a new football stadium with leisure facilities. Look to restore some of the more handosme buildings in the town as well. There are some truly great facets which are a part of northern life. Any "regeneration" should celerbrate these!
what oldham needs is diversity in shops. something along the lines of Afflecks in Manchester would be great with a university and college in town. not all teens wear sports wear. Not all women want maxi dresses and 'top shop' chic. smaller, independant shops selling a variety of things rather than the same old same which you can buy anywhere.
It's fair to say that Oldham Council have done this town a massive dis-service over the last 40 years. But one thing is for certain, they probably will not look to the comments on this page for any inspiring contribution.
I'm afraid my last comment was censored for criticising Oldhams record on transport over the years, but now Metro link has just announced that there will be no trams to Altrincham until Thursday.
What a system to look forward to I can't remember a time when the trains were cancelled like this.
It's not progress it's a disaster waiting to happen, unfortunately it's now to late to go back. Nearest station is Stalybridge, perhaps it's time for a new bus service to the station there!
Oldham is great, because its halfway between Ashton and Bury!
Come on Mr Charlie Parker, if you have been "involved" in Liverpool One, and other such developments, then you should have known about Bury's plans years ago, and been able to react to it?
This story is just about you seeming to agree with everyone else on the day Bury shows its new Trophy...
I suppose it's too much to hope that Mr Parker remembers he is the Chief Executive of the borough and Oldham is not the only town centre requiring his attention.
Let's hope there is more action than words this time. we have had plans in Oldham before but all went to waste.
During 1990’s Labour Council negotiated a £19m deal with a subsidiary of the Lonhro Group to develop a Leisure complex off Union St. Multiplex cinema, Bowling Alley and family restaurants. The Council spent £9 assembling the site. Labour lost control of the Council in 2000. The Lib/Dems procrastinated about the scheme. The developer frustrated by the inaction and moved to Ashton Moss.
Following on..The Lib/Dems then decided to sell the site to Sainsburys at a knock down price of £4m, ie they lost £5m of Council Tax payers money. At the same time the Lib/Dem Council cancelled Sports Park 2000.
Also did not encourage IKEA to come to Oldham, which was the companies preferred option near the Park Rd Warehouse, IKEA also went to Tameside
If this is what happened in the past WHAT will be different this time? Will they allow the New Oldham Athletic development with proposed cinema?
"Oldham town centre will be a very different place" - It's a very different place now to the Oldham I once knew.
His "hidden gem” is so well hidden no one can find it.
In five years time no one will find him either - because he will be gone, like the rest of them
I hope I will be too
Have Your Say
I think that OMBC will be rather jealous and/or shamefaced - call it what you will. They must act now or what's left of Oldham will vanish without trace and those who have messed about with the town centre for years will regret their (lack of) actions. Maybe they all should 'bury' their heads in shame?
By Owdhamfan @ 16/08/2010 12:29:01