Three towns to get major overhaul

Three towns in Tameside are destined for major change, and work has already started.

If you walk through Ashton town centre, the Market Square has essentially become a building site. A cash injection of £20m from the Levelling Up fund, secured by the council, will see three major projects brought to life in the area.

Where the old market stalls previously sat has been bulldozed as workers prepare to erect a large canopy containing 10 market kiosks.

The new covering will provide outdoor market traders with protection from the weather and is expected to become a hub for events and cultural activities.

As construction work continues, the outdoor market stalls will be temporarily moved to Fletcher Square and Market Street, where they are expected to stay for the rest of 2025.

The building site used to house 104 fixed market stalls and eight kiosks. This is a costly project at £14.6m, but the canopy is not the only scheme underway in the area at the moment.

Just next to the square, the market hall will get some titivation and creative spaces as well as additional food and drink offers.

According to town hall chiefs, they want to be on the ‘front foot’ to meet the changing demands of locals following a steady decline in retail options. Coun Andrew McLaren, growth, housing and homelessness boss at Tameside Council, told a recent scrutiny panel meeting the scheme will be ‘of the highest quality’.

“The Market Square will be the beating heart of the town; a modern market and public space enlivened by events, café culture and a vibrant evening economy,” town hall papers read.

“A friendly and welcoming place for future generations to enjoy. A destination where people can socialise and relax.”

Market Square sits in the shadow of Ashton Town Hall, which has been surrounded by scaffolding for a long time. But that will cease to be the case next month as £3.4m works restructuring the building façade are due to be completed next month.

There is a long-term hope to refurbish the inside of the historic building as well, but there isn’t any cash for that at the moment. Coun McLaren recently explained this structural work will ensure the town hall doesn’t deteriorate any further.

Just behind Arcades Shopping Centre from Market Square is the last piece of the Levelling Up puzzle. The old bus station site became redundant after Ashton Interchange began operating on Wellington Road in August 2020.

The local authority spent £1.8m acquiring the site and demolishing what was left before they carry out the last of the remediation works in Autumn this year. The land would then be made available for redevelopment options.

The council is working with the owners of the shopping centres on a long-term strategy on how this section of land will be regenerated alongside the shopping centres, Coun McLaren told a scrutiny committee.

The vision for Stalybridge

Just down the road, Stalybridge is also undergoing major changes. The Civic Hall roof works have been completed and further internal works are now underway, the Place and External Relations Scrutiny Panel was told.

Just next door, planning consent has been granted for access improvements at Astley Cheetham Art Gallery & Library, with further permissions requested for new lift. These two buildings will form the jewels in the crown for what is envisioned for the town.

Civic squares will be regenerated and the road network will be overhauled as part of a multi-million pound vision for the town. Armentieres Square, which is bisected by the Huddersfield Narrow Canal, would act as a centrepiece to the plan – hosting an event space with a stage complimented by new seating and tree planting.

A volunteer garden, improved street lighting and further aesthetic features are all set to become a mainstay in the area. Market Street would be re-established as the ‘gateway’ into Stalybridge with new paving and wider walkways for people – ‘creating a welcoming and joyful pedestrian-focused corridor’.

After council bosses in Tameside gave the nod to the £4.7m plan in June last year, things have now moved forward. The idea behind the scheme is to prioritise pedestrians and improve the appearance of the public squares.

Council papers read: “Stalybridge is rich with assets that can be utilised and celebrated to improve the urban environment of the town centre. If addressed, these opportunities can be adopted to create a unique and vibrant town centre for residents and visitors.

“These features can unlock opportunities within the public realm to create more space for public realm, allowing local businesses to grow, frame regeneration and improve the health and wellbeing of the people within the town.”

This forms part of the wider Stalybridge masterplan, which focuses on the opportunities unlocked by the awarding of £19.9m in Levelling Up funding. Further Capital Regeneration Projects funding will be used to create infrastructure in the western side of Stalybridge – close to the train station.

Secured funding of £11.1m will be used for the delivery of upfront enabling infrastructure to bring forward land for development, attract further investment, and deliver new housing for the town. The infrastructure works for Stalybridge West include a new bridge over the River Tame near Caroline Street for pedestrians and cyclists, as well as a multi-storey car park off Waterloo Street.

Denton

The final town in Tameside that has received Levelling Up funding is Denton. They received £16.8m in the third round of funding at the end of 2023.

The cash will be used to improve public realm and active travel options as well as works at Denton Town Hall and the repurposing of the Festival Hall site. This scheme is currently stalled as the council waits on the funding to be validated by the new Government.

It is expected that progress will be made next month at the Spring Budget. In the meantime, a masterplan and a public realm strategy is being procured.

Speaking about the three projects for Ashton, Stalybridge and Denton as a whole, Coun McLaren told the scrutiny panel: “We want it to be a nice place to come and for people to be safe there.”