‘Abandoned’ Coldhurst medical centre put up for auction
Reporter: Charlotte Hall, Local Democracy Reporter
Date published: 02 January 2026
The former Donald Wilde Medical Centre closed in 2021. Image courtesy of Google Maps
An ‘abandoned’ medical centre that shut down ‘without warning’ in 2021 is being put up for auction.
The former Donald Wilde Medical Centre in Coldhurst will go under the hammer on February 3 with a guide price of £275k, according to an Auction House listing.
Previously a GP surgery, the building on Rochdale Road has stood vacant for a number of years and is now being offered up as ‘an excellent investment opportunity’.
The practice shut down suddenly during the Covid-19 pandemic, with 5,000 patients informed abruptly by text or letter they should register elsewhere.
Now the 3,110 sqft (289 sqm) property could come under new ownership and be developed for new uses.
The property site says: “This is a rare opportunity to purchase a former healthcare facility with significant potential for value enhancement through refurbishment or change of use.
“The property offers versatile accommodation suitable for a range of alternative uses, subject to the necessary consents, making it ideal for an investor or landlord seeking redevelopment or conversion potential.”
The listing featured on TikTok property content creator ‘Housing Horrors’, who makes videos about unusual buildings for sale on popular market sites like Rightmove or Zoopla.
He asked his viewers ‘Could you live in an abandoned medical centre?’ while flicking through pictures of the interior of the centre, which still contains furniture like examination tables, reception desks, and filing cabinets.
“It feels a bit weird – a bit creepy,” he said.
But people commenting on the post defended the site, stating it was once ‘one of the best doctors in Oldham’ and is now ‘just an old building’.
Some Oldham locals conjectured that the building could be turned into a HMO. Oldham Council are currently considering a HMO conversion at another former medical centre on Shaw High Street, which has been heavily opposed by local residents.
But the video also sparked renewed questions about why the practice shut down so abruptly.
The building was suddenly listed as archived on the CQC website in January 2021 – the government watchdog for health services.
At the time, a spokesperson for the Oldham CCG said they had come to a ‘mutual agreement’ with the GPs who hold the contract to ‘terminate their contract, in accordance to their business wishes’.
It’s still unclear exactly why the practice shut down.
Do you have a story for us? Want to tell us about something going on in and around Oldham? Let us know by emailing news@oldham-chronicle.co.uk , calling our Oldham-based newsroom on 0161 633 2121 , tweeting us @oldhamchronicle or messaging us through our Facebook page. All contact will be treated in confidence.
