Smoothing the way for Metrolink

OLDHAM TOWN CENTRE PARTNERSHIP MEETING

OLDHAM’S business leaders will help thrash out plans to keep disruption on Union Street to a minimum during construction work to lay tram tracks for Metrolink.

Work is expected to begin next Easter and take until early 2014 to complete.

Councillor Dave Hibbert said it was important to make sure some of Union Street’s “lovely buildings,” were enough to encourage people to get off the tram and visit Oldham.

“We have to make sure they are shown off to their best advantage so people want to spend some time here — we don’t want Metrolink to be just a means of transporting people out of Oldham,” he said.

Councillor Jackie Stanton, deputy leader for Oldham Council, warned that major disruption was unavoidable, and the Oldham Chronicle’s Jenny Cattermole added: “Union Street seems to be ‘closed for business’ at the moment.

“It looks tired despite the many interesting buildings,” and asked: “Are we clearing the way for a new and shiny town?”

Chairman Andrew Fletcher said investors were maybe waiting to move until the Metrolink development was “absolute,” and Councillor Stanton insisted developers had money but were “keeping it under the bed” until the financial situation improved.




Chance to make a difference

OLDHAM’S town centre action plan offers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to radically change the face of the town. The claim came from council regeneration officer Michele Carr, who told the meeting it would be a fluid plan which would respond to new challenges.




POLICE called for better street lighting around flats in Egerton Street, Oldham, where fear of crime is keeping elderly people indoors. Insp Melita Worswick said that the lighting was so bad people could not make out the features of passers-by.




GALLERY Oldham’s cafe is due to reopen shortly after Christmas, following pressure from the Town Centre Partnership to bring forward the date.




PLANS to open an Indian restaurant at the former King Street Co-op have been delayed because of a leaking roof. The 150-seat Rajput Palace will create 20 full and part-time jobs, and is expected to be ready to open by Christmas.