Plans to redevelop a council-owned shopping centre to create a new market hall, offices and event space have been lodged.
Oldham council has formally applied for planning permission to transform Spindles Town Square Shopping Centre, which it purchased in 2020 for £9.5m.
The town hall wants to convert the upper mall floorspace into ‘flexible high quality’ offices, which will include co-working spaces, and there would also be solar panels mounted on the roof.
Bosses have stated that council staff will be moved from the Civic Centre offices into the new Spindles site, freeing up the old council HQ site for redevelopment.
The authority says the proposals will help save more than £8m over the next four years by reducing corporate landlord and a backlog of maintenance costs.
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A former Town Square shop and a section of the car park would be turned into a new archive and heritage space to publicly exhibit Oldham’s artefacts and museum archives that are not currently on display.
This area would be in place of the proposed use of the former historic library building on Union Street as a heritage centre.
Works to restore part of the Grade Two listed Old Library are currently underway, but currently there is not a plan for how it will be used – with residents being asked to share their ideas.
As part of the new planning application, the ground floor of Spindles will continue to house the ‘core offer’ of shopping and retail units.
And a new events space is proposed to be built above the new market, bringing a new venue for private and public functions and community use to the heart of the town centre.
This would replace the Queen Elizabeth Hall, and be used for functions including weddings, conferences, live music, parties, election counts and exhibitions.
It would include a bar and kitchen facilities, and have a ‘culturally sensitive’ design.
Planning permission was granted for the demolition of the TJ Hughes unit in the shopping centre earlier this year, which will be replaced by the new Tommyfield market.
Under the latest plans, the replacement unit would extend into Parliament Square, with an entrance created to the new split-level market.
The new Tommyfield Market would have a food court, as well as a dedicated retail market linked to the shopping mall.
Under the future plans the old market on Henshaw Street will be demolished and replaced with housing and a new 5.7 acre town centre park.
The works to transform the shopping centre are being ‘partially financed’ from £12m of government Towns Fund grant funding.
“Due to the recent shift in retail trends towards a greater online presence, the high street is seeing a steady decline in footfall and at present it is considered that the vacancy rate and quality/variety of existing tenants within both buildings is not conducive to the long-term health of the shopping centre or to the town centre as a whole,” the design and access report states.
“This planning application marks a significant milestone in the redevelopment of Spindles Town Square Shopping Centre and Oldham Town Centre as a whole.
“Since the acquisition of Spindles by Oldham Council in November 2020 it has been recognised that the shopping centre can no longer be solely retail-focused if it is to be sustainable.
“Development of the site is a unique opportunity to bring together business, leisure and culture with retail and create a vibrant scheme in the heart of Oldham.”
Council leader Arooj Shah said the submission of the planning application was an ‘exciting milestone’.
“I can’t wait to see the revamped centre with all the new facilities,” she added.
“The high street and the way we shop continues to change. That’s why we bought Spindles and developed these plans, to give our town centre a long-term future.
“It’s going to make a huge difference to our town centre, along with lots of other brilliant projects like the new Jubilee Park, new theatre, restored Old Library and the development of a hotel and supermarket at Prince’s Gate.”
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