Changes to Town Centre Vision could signal the end for two projects

The proposed changes are due to go before the Council's Cabinet for approval.

While Oldham awaits the announcement by the Government on whether the town will be put into local lockdown, the council have announced they are going to change the local plan for the town centre, which could see two projects dropped.

A refreshed Town Centre Vision will see the local authority increase its town centre housing ambitions from 2,000 to 2,400 homes and introduce green open space in the heart of Oldham. 

However, as part of the revisions, the council have warned the Oldham Museum and Achieves and the Wrigley Head Solar Farm may not progress as planned.

The lack of money due to the Covid19 outbreak is being blamed for the fall in the budget with Oldham Council’s Cabinet set to approve the revisions as soon as possible.  

Councillor Sean Fielding, Council Leader and Cabinet Member for Economy and Skills, said: “The pandemic has shown the need for modern, quality homes that meet the needs of residents at different times in their lives and have town centre facilities on the doorstep.

“Our revised plans put further emphasis on our brownfield first commitment and give us the base from which to boost jobs and apprenticeships and grow the economy.”

Creating a Better Place was launched in January, setting out investment plans to create business opportunities, jobs, homes and a greener and cleaner borough. With the pandemic hitting council budgets hard, these plans have now been reviewed to ensure they deliver on the needs of the borough, with some projects amended or reprioritised.

Cllr Sean Fielding added: “Creating a Better Place set out our vision and priorities, but was designed to give us flexibility in delivery. We’re now seeing the benefit of that approach, as we’ve been able to quickly recalibrate to account for the changing situation.

“Projects that will make a real difference to job creation, opportunities for young people and that make the borough greener right now have been pushed forward. The building blocks like new homes, a new Tommyfield Market and a food hall in the Egyptian Rooms are what we need to build back better.”

Speaking about the possibility of the OMA (Oldham Museum and Archives) and Wrigley Head Solar Farm being dropped from the plans, Councillor Fielding added:

“Of course, we’d like to do everything in the original plan, but while we face a massive budget challenge because of the pandemic, residents would rightly expect us to prioritise projects that will help people get back on their feet as soon as possible.”

Oldham Council is continuing to campaign for fair funding from government to compensate for the losses incurred tackling the coronavirus pandemic. To support the Save Oldham’s Services campaign and sign our letter visit www.oldham.gov.uk/sosoldham

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