Marks to spark fantastic new future for Mumps
Reporter: DAWN MARSDEN
Date published: 18 November 2014
The new M&S store as the centrepiece of the Princes Gate at Mumps redevelopment
THE 130-year wait to bring Marks and Spencer to Oldham is finally over.
The retail giant will open a clothing, homeware and food store at a new £60million Prince’s Gate development at Mumps.
The “gamechanger” masterplan — approved by Oldham Council Cabinet members last night — will bring 150,000 sq ft of new retail space, up to 800 new homes and hundreds of jobs to the town’s eastern gateway.
The impressive, glazed M&S building will feature a futuristic grass-effect roof with curved edges and an underground car park with 200 spaces. There will also be room for other retailers on the site.
The development will be built on the current Park and Ride site and the council has already agreed a land swap with Transport for Greater Manchester for a replacement of the same size on land between Beever Street and Wallshaw Street.
There are also plans for another new retail unit — thought to be a major supermarket — to be built on the RSPCA/Roscoe Mill site. Above this 18,000 sq ft store there would be around 50 apartment units set across three storeys. Negotiations with the landowners continue.
The former NatWest bank will be refurbished to provide a mix of housing, restaurants, bars and leisure outlets.
Council leader Jim McMahon said: “Prince’s Gate at Oldham Mumps is all about our aspirations for our future — it is a game-changer for the new Oldham.
“We know that getting the right facilities in town is important to local people, because Oldhamers tell us this all the time.
“The interest of M&S is a massive vote of confidence in what we’re doing and potentially a fantastic early Christmas present for Oldham. I hope people can now see that we’re definitely ‘on with the job’.”
Research suggests the new development could create more than 700 new jobs and be worth up to £21 million a year to the local economy.
Councillor McMahon said: “This is a massive piece in the town centre regeneration jigsaw, one of the most ambitious redevelopments for Oldham town centre since the 1980s.”
The work will take place in stages, starting next year. The M&S store and other retail outlets are likely to open in 2017.
The plans are showcased in an animated 3D flyover which can be viewed online now at www.oldham.gov.uk/princesgate.
