Work officially begins on £32m project to transform an ‘underused car park’ into more than 300 homes

Construction can officially start on a major £32m project to transform an ‘underused car park’ into more than 300 new homes in Oldham.

Developers Muse can now put spades in the ground at Prince’s Gate in Oldham Mumps after the environmental pre-conditions were met this week. 

The GMCA-backed project will see a piece of council land finally be brought back into use, after several previous plans for the plot fell through. The area at the end of Yorkshire St will be turned into three red-brick towers with more than 331 flats. 

The 16, 12, and six storey high apartment blocks will contain 159 one-beds, 141 two-beds and 31 three-bed units. And 75 of the new homes will be available for social rent. 

On the ground floor, the blocks will contain new commercial units for use by cafes, shops or even community uses like creches and health services. With only 18 car parking spaces, the towers are designed to be as ‘car free’ as possible, with the Metrolink station just minutes away. 

Council leader Arooj Shah said the scheme is ‘about building a vibrant, modern neighbourhood and setting the tone for the next chapter of Oldham’s regeneration’. 

“We know how urgently we need more housing, particularly affordable housing, and this investment helps us deliver real results for residents,” she added. 

Initial groundworks have already started, and building works are now expected ‘as soon as the weather allows’ now that the council has discharged Muse’s biodiversity assessments. 

Special Projects Development Lead confirmed: “The submitted Biodiversity Gain Plan and associated documents are acceptable to be discharged and to allow the development to commence.” 

The project is backed by £31.5m from the GMCA’s £1bn Good Growth Fund, a pot of money designed to support big regeneration projects around Greater Manchester. 

Once completed, the construction would ‘break the curse’ of the Mumps site, which was supposed to become an M&S and then a Lidl in two major deals that both fell through at the final moment.