The town with ‘huge potential’ that’s being held back by one building

Droylsden is a town crying out for a change of fortune.

And what's holding it back is a dispute over an empty building.

Once you step off the tram into Droylsden one of the first sights you will see is The Silly Country, a bustling bar in the shadow of the iconic Concord Suite building. Beyond Silly Country there’s an abundance of shop shutters down and very little sign of life in what was once a bustling shopping precinct.

As one shopper observed, after seeing what was on offer, people might get back on the tram swiftly.

Nicholas Brogdale said: “It’s like any other town, there are a lot of these defunct precincts across the country.

“The owners of the shops have hiked up the rent. The big problem is they want to invest, the front looks good when The Silly Country is lit up.

“The tram stop is a good asset. People can get off, go down this corridor of shops but they probably go back on the tram pretty quickly, it’s sad.

“It has the potential to be made into something, but what do you do? The market days are gone, you need to plan for the future, you can’t just let it rot.

“I’m one of many thousands in Droylsden that want it to be better.”

Coun Barrie Holland, who represents the local area, claimed that around 70 per cent of shops in Droylsden have closed down and sit empty. He raised the issue at the latest town hall meeting, but was reassured by council bosses that this was going to be addressed.

Former council leader and fellow Droylsden West councillor Ged Cooney agrees with the local consensus that something needs to happen, and it needs to happen now. But there is one sticking point that needs to be overcome before real change can happen.

The vacant Concord Suite is in the heart of the shopping precinct, but it’s also the source of the town’s problem. The retail units that protrude from the building, which once housed the defunct Droylsden Council, have been kept empty on purpose.

This is because the owner of the shopping centre, New Era, are still battling with the council over what to do with the building. It is understood that the council owns the inside of the Concord building – which New Era is trying to take control of – and New Era owns the units underneath it.

Negotiations between New Era and Tameside Council have been ongoing for years, but it is hoped the matter will be resolved in the coming months – for the sake of the town. New Era’s vision is to transform the Concord into residential accommodation as well as an apartment block behind the Beehive Inn, which would in turn increase the economic viability for new businesses to set up in the town.

They say that the council needs to make a decision on the building in order to push forward development. But the council says they are waiting on a study before making a decision on the matter.

According to locals, it has been a long time since the town centre was thriving, but they remain hopeful things will turn around.

Coming out of the Post Office, two elderly women walk past saying “it wasn’t always like this”, reminiscing about the town’s glory days. They bemoaned the loss of the fishmongers, butchers, green grocers – but that is the same fate many other town centres across Greater Manchester have suffered.

Chris, who used to run a shop within the town centre is leaning against one of the many closed shutters.

He said: “I know it’s dying a death here. I can only imagine the cost of having a business, but I don’t know the facts and figures. I used to have a business here, the council sold the new town centre well when the new tram stop was coming in.

“Most town centres are struggling. But there is nightlife here, if you come here in summer it’s packed with people. So it does have that going for it.”

The bars and pubs in the town still do a good trade, according to John Beatfield, who is a regular reveller in the area. Waiting for his bus home to Abbey Hey, he stopped to chat about the town’s huge potential.

“I come here quite a lot,” he told said “I go to a few pubs around here.

“It definitely has huge potential to be much more though. It needs investment.

“All there is at the moment is hairdressers and nail salons. A few more bars could really liven up the place.

“In the summer it can get really lively around here.”

There is a light at the end of the tunnel for Droylsden though, with the council preparing a masterplan for the town. The masterplan will outline short, medium and long-term goals for the wider town centre, which will span over 20 years.

Consultation over the masterplan was launched last year. However, some of the ideas touted have created confusion and anxiety, particularly amongst businesses in the precinct.

Katy Glover, who owns The Silly Country and Sparrows in the Snow, fears one idea that was floated – knocking down the Concord Suite and replacing it entirely.

“I went to the library when they had the display boards up for consultation,” Katy said. “Some of them seemed like good ideas. The concord being closed was one option I didn’t like.

“My business would have to close if that was the case.”

Katy believes there is interest from businesses wanting to come in and set up in Droylsden, but blames New Era for being too slow to get them in. Her bars are one of the few success stories in the town, and locals confirm they’re both booming in the warmer months.

The most recent addition to the shopping centre is House of Grace. But owner Louise Ingham said getting a spot for her bath and body shop was easier said than done.

Louise said: “It is all very cloak and dagger. We’ve only been open since October, customers say it would be nice to see more openings.

“They ask ‘how do you open a unit, who do you speak to’. We need new people to come in with new ideas to help out.

“It’s not that people don’t want to come in with businesses but they just can’t get in. I was looking for a space for 18 months.”

What New Era says

A spokesperson for New Era said: “New-Era purchased the shopping centre in Droylsden because it believes that with appropriate investment, proper stewardship and the support of its residents, Droylsden will be a thriving town and a great place to live and work.

“Since acquiring the shopping centre New-Era has commissioned work to identify what interventions would benefit the town and ensure it is a viable location for business.

“It has identified that while the town centre is surrounded by both established and new areas of housing, access to the town centre is less than ideal and has sought to engage with Tameside Council to discuss how access to the town centre could be best promoted and delivered.

“As long ago as 2020 New-Era prepared their vision as to how a reinvigorated shopping centre could sit at the heart of a revitalised town.

“New-Era believes there is a once in a generation opportunity in Droylsden to deliver transformational change because, uniquely, the majority of the town’s shortcomings (also opportunities) are on or within sites already in the ownership or control of the Tameside council and thus deliverable in the short term not just aspirations for years in the future.

“Unfortunately, while a number of units (nine out of the currently 14 vacant units) are not being marketed because, if let, there can be no logical reinvention of the Concord Building, the perception of the town is adversely affected. This is why a swift and clear decision from Tameside council on the future of the Concord Building is urgently needed.

What Tameside Council says

Coun Stephen Homer, executive member for towns, transport and connectivity said: “Work is ongoing on Droylsden Town Centre Masterplan which was commissioned in 2024 and being led by OPEN, supported by Cushman & Wakefield, WSP and Social.

“The draft masterplan has been out for public consultation with drop-in sessions having taken place in October 2024. The consultant team are currently collating their final recommendations based on the feedback received which will then go back to our executive cabinet for approval of the final masterplan.

“One of the key recommendations of the draft masterplan is that a further detailed study of the retail core of the town be undertaken including the Concord Suite to consider viability, feasibility and development options.

“Cushman & Wakefield have been appointed to carry out this work with a completion date of April 2025 and discussions with the Concord Suite and shopping centre owners, New Era are integral to these plans moving forward and as the masterplan progresses.

“The masterplan is being funded by £100,000 from Homes England and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) Evergreen fund and will outline short, medium, and long-term interventions to support the regeneration of the town centre.

“It spans over 10 to 15 years enabling the council to seek further investment and funding to be able to implement the plan, projects and prioritises as any grant funding becomes available to deliver the vision for a sustainable future for Droylsden.”