Locals have their say on town centre changes

Ashton town centre is currently a building site, with construction workers in hi vis and diggers clanging and banging where the market stalls used to be.

At the beginning of the year the area where the fixed market stalls used to sit was bulldozed. Piles of rubble have been visible on Market Square for the last few months, but now the foundations of a £14.6m project are seeing progress.

The scheme will see a large canopy containing 10 market kiosks built – replacing the old units. 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, according to Tameside Council.

Until the work is finished at the end of 2025, locals will have to persist with skirting around the edges of Market Square to go about their daily lives.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service went out to speak to those still tottering around the noisy town centre.

Many were unconvinced about how the works would actually benefit the town.

Kathleen Cross was taking a break from shopping on a bench just outside the market hall – also touted to become a nightlife hotspot with bars and food stalls earmarked. The pensioner didn’t think the plans for the food and drink hub would be her cup of tea, she just wants a town centre to be proud of.

Kathleen Cross, 78, from Ashton. Credit: LDRS

The 78-year-old Ashtonian said: “They keep changing the market, now they’re changing it again, but it’s taking a long time.

“I think it’s more of the same, all the shops are closing. It’s just takeaways and hairdressers now.

“The town centre is going downhill and nothing seems to be changing. I hope I’m proven wrong though.

“I want a town centre I can be proud of. I don’t want to travel further away for my shopping, I’m older now so I don’t want to go too far.”

Just a few benches down, a woman from Hyde took a break from her sausage roll to share her thoughts.

“I think they’re wasting their money,” she told the LDRS. “The market traders have all gone now as a result.

“I think they should spend their money better elsewhere, on children’s services and homelessness for example.

“That’s a big issue, they’re on the streets and need help. They should spend money repurposing empty buildings for the homeless.”

The new Market Square canopy and the altered market hall aren’t the only town changes on the cards though. A recently approved plan would see a shake up of the Arcades and Ladysmith shopping centres to ‘better suit the needs of locals’.

The phased development would see majority of the retail offer transferred to the Arcades, with Ladysmith making way for hundreds of new homes. The Arcades would become the central hub for shopping – with a cinema and leisure facilities all earmarked for the first floor.

The vacant space where the old bus station once stood would also become home to a new public realm with an improved link to the train station.

Tameside Council bosses believe the overarching town centre plan, financed by the £20m Levelling Up funding, would ‘futureproof’ the town for years to come.

Analysing the construction site at the foot of the two shopping centres, Stuart Parker is skeptical.

Stuart Parker,73, from Dukinfield. Credit: LDRS

The 73-year-old from Dukinfield said: “I just don’t understand the overall development to be honest by taking away Ladysmith. It’s all going to be houses.

“It’s like shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted. They should’ve done this years ago when people lived here in the centre, not now everyone has moved out.

“Back in the 1970s when we joined Greater Manchester Combined Authority we had eight markets, one for each town. We don’t have a market in any now really – that sums up the situation for towns at the moment.

“I hope it takes off, but I can’t see it.”

The general consensus amongst locals is of scepticism and a distant hope. They believe the town centre has suffered in recent years and there isn’t much belief things can get better.

With examples of Altrincham Market and Bury Market in the city-region being a success story for redevelopment, there are still some who are praying this latest town centre facelift can strike gold.

Sitting with his coffee outside a café on the corner of Market Street and Market Avenue, Terry Perkins is watching the world go by. He is one of the few people positive about the planned changes.

Terry Perkins, 82, sat in Market Square. Credit: LDRS

The 82-year-old said: “It can only improve the town, which is positive. Unfortunately markets are dying off really.

“Oldham’s and Hyde’s are a lot quieter than they used to be. If they improve they may just last longer.

“Online has done a lot of damage to the town centre. People can get something delivered the next day.

If you look around it’s mainly older people in and around the market.

“I believe they’re going to have a stage in the new canopy and they’re trying to bring more attractions and bars etc to try and bring younger people.

“I’m quite hopeful. If they don’t change, markets will die off.”

Gareth Williams, born and raised in Ashton, now lives in Blackpool and says he’d go to the seaside town over Ashton any day. But his main concern was the price of a pint, because it’s famously cheap in Tameside’s civic town.

“I’m not really spending any time here, I’m just here now and again. I wouldn’t want to come here, I prefer Blackpool.

“In Blackpool it’s pretty lively but here it’s getting worse and worse. Back in the day they used to do a day trip from Rhyl to Ashton market, but I can’t see them doing that now.

“It’s a cheap pint though here. If this redevelopment is built and they charge more that could close up pubs.

“It’s a worry if this raises prices. All the pubs sell pints for around £2, so if they open that canopy and sell pints for £4, that won’t work will it.”

What Tameside Council say

Coun Andrew McLaren, deputy leader and executive member for growth, housing and homelessness, said: “These plans build on the progress already underway through the Ashton Mayoral Development Zone. By linking together key sites and opportunities both public and private, we’re creating a stronger foundation for growth.

“Through the Ashton Growth Corridor and Mayoral Development Zone, we’re combining major investment, strategic planning, and a new regeneration partnership to deliver homes, jobs, and vibrant public spaces across Ashton town centre.”