SportsTown project update

Andy Burnham plans to invoke special powers to ‘turbocharge’ schemes for a major revamp in Oldham.

The Greater Manchester Mayor plans to form a ‘Mayoral Development Corporation’ (MDC), a governing body that will lead a £70m masterplan to transform Boundary Park stadium into a multi-sports centre, and build 2,000 new homes in the town centre.

An MDC is a special body that can be called for by a Metro Mayor, which has special powers to develop land and buildings, create new transport infrastructure, and attract funding for the project. 

Oldham’s version could speed up the planning  process for the town centre development, and for SportsTown, a total revamp of the Oldham Athletic stadium on Furtherwood Road. 

GMCA will likely greenlight the proposal on Friday, January 30. The MDC will then need to be approved by Oldham Council and the government. 

One of the projects will see the area around Boundary Park turned into a four-sport centre for football, rugby, cricket and netball; and a new learning centre, where youngsters can gain qualifications in athletics-adjacent industries, including health, wellbeing and teaching.  

An aspirational long-term plan includes building a 3,000-seater sports arena for netball competitions, rugby league, basketball and wheelchair sports. The ambition aims to bring 25,000 weekly visitors to Oldham within five years.

A report due to go to the GMCA this Friday states: “The regeneration of Oldham SportsTown will catalyse regeneration around the surrounding areas including Oldham Town Centre. It will create a significant opportunity to improve the economic profile of Oldham with plans to create jobs, improve infrastructure and deliver other economic benefits.”

The second project, led by urban developers Muse, involves bringing 2,000 new homes to six brownfield sites across the town centre, including the former Oldham Civic Centre, Oldham Mumps, and the former Magistrates Court.

Speaking to the LDRS last week, Mr Burnham confirmed the arrangement would help ensure Oldham is not ‘left behind’ in wider reindustrialisation plans for the Region. 
Oldham Council Leader, Coun Arooj Shah, said: “If agreed, this would give us a stronger way to bring investment together, coordinate development, and turbocharge change at the pace and scale our borough needs. But most importantly, it is about what this could mean for everyday lives.

“Using sport, health, wellbeing and education as the driving forces for regeneration means creating real pathways into work, better health outcomes, and stronger communities. It means creating places where young people can build a future, where families can thrive, and where businesses can grow.

“Any proposal would go through the proper statutory process, including consultation, so that residents, businesses and communities can have their say before anything is decided.”

Once approved and consulted on, the council  will create a ‘Shadow MDC’ before the end of the year, the Local Democracy Reporting Service understands. This would then become a real MDC in early 2027, pending approval from the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government.