Next phase of SportsTown given the go ahead

The next phase of a £70m project to create a ‘sports town’ in the middle of Oldham has been approved.

Bosses at Boundary Park – the home of the Oldham Athletic Football Club – have permission to erect three netball courts as part of an ‘ambitious’ programme to invest in the borough’s athletic facilities. 

The government and Greater Manchester Combined Authority backed scheme could ultimately extend the football stadium into a four-sport facility for football, rugby, netball, and cricket. Its overall aim is to put Oldham on the map for sports and attract ‘25,000 visitors a week’ to the borough, according to Oldham Athletic CEO Darren Royle. 

After almost completing Little Wembley, the stadium’s junior training ground, plans have now been approved to build the netball courts on a plot of ‘underused and unattractive’ land next to the car park. The plans by Sports Town Ltd, the company created to carry out the project, don’t include lighting but will require acoustic and security fencing. 

There are also blueprints for a new changing area, which will be shared by Little Wembley, and a five-metre wide path between Hilbre Avenue and the Clayton Playing Fields. 

Speaking on behalf of the scheme, Richard Gee said: “This application delivers three outdoor netball courts, and those are important because there is a clear shortage of dedicated netball provision in Oldham, particularly for women and girls. Oldham netball club have described it as a ‘major opportunity to put netball at the heart of Oldham’.

“It’s not just a loose add on, this is a statement of intent that netball is a core part of the overall vision for SportsTown, alongside football, rugby, and cricket.” 

Mr Gee added the application was ‘not just about sport’, with opportunities for traineeships, netball related qualifications, and health programmes planned alongside club activities. 

The application was not approved unanimously, with two councillors objecting to the proposal over concerns for the increase in traffic the new courts could cause. Car access will continue from Hilbre Avenue, with part of the current car park reconfigured to make space for the courts. 

“Neighbours on Hillborough avenue are greatly concerned about the movement of traffic,” said Cllr Maggie Hurley. “If it’s going to be popular, it’s going to be busy. These kids are not going to be dropped by helicopter. These are young people who are going to be dropped off by their parents.” 

Highways officers assured councillors the increase is currently expected to be between 15 and 20 return journeys at peak times, which they claim is ‘relatively low for this car park’. 

The application also sought retrospective permission for Frank Rothwell’s ‘Oldham Wheel’ – a ten metre sculpture of a cog containing a giant embryo. The artwork, which is a nod to Oldham’s industrial history and role in IVF development, was erected without planning approval, the committee heard. 

The unmissable structure located opposite the entrance of the car park has now been approved as part of the netball scheme. 

Other parts of SportsTown are also underway. The GMCA is currently in the process of creating an Oldham Mayoral Development Corporation. Once approved by the government, the group of region leaders and business heads will take over the management of the project with additional powers to buy or sell land, sign contracts, and score up funds. 

The system is geared at speeding up the delivery of Sports Town, as well as wider plans to regenerate Oldham town centre.