Oldham council is planning on creating a new six-acre ‘linear’park – named ‘Jubilee Park’ – on land due to be made vacant once the current Tommyfield Market building is demolished.

It forms part of the ongoing regeneration project for the town, which is also seeing the revamp of Spindles Shopping Centre, and the creation of a new indoor market, and the intention to build thousands of new homes in the centre.

The new Jubilee Park will also be created on land occupied by the former Oldham Sports Centre in Lord Street.

In July, the authority announced it was to enter into a 15 year partnership with ‘placemaker’ company Muse to progress development of ‘strategic’ residential sites and infrastructure along with the council, including the new public park.

The homes would be a mix of tenures, including social housing, apartments and built using using green technology and ‘passive house’ principles.

A planning application has now been lodged by the local authority to convert the Rock Street car park into an area of public open space.

Currently it is being used as a 65-space car park, but would become the south-eastern part of the new Jubilee Park.

Landscaping proposals include retaining the existing trees, ans well as ‘woodland glade’ planting, ‘heather terrace’ planting and new grasses, lawns , and 85 new trees.

Pathways will be illuminated through bollards and lighting columns to ‘improve the sense of safety’, the application states.

In the south-east of the site a two-way cycle lane would be create linking Rock Street to St Mary’s Way, which would incorporate into the proposed cyclops junction on St Mary’s Way.

The design and access statement, submitted as part of the application, states that it will secure a number of benefits for the town.

These include the ‘regeneration of a wider area of Oldham town centre with indirect economic benefits’ and the ‘enhancement of character of Rock Street and wider area, including positive impact on neighbouring conservation area’ as well as providing a safe walking and cycling network along Rock Street.

The plans are expected to be decided by the end of August.