How changing Droylsden starts with the Concord Suite

What was once the heart of everything in Droylsden now sits as a lifeless shell. After years of empty irrelevance, the Concord Suite is set to come crumbling down.

The 1960s building was originally built to house the now defunct Droylsden Council. 

Tameside council engulfed the nine towns in the borough when the Greater Manchester city-region was born in 1974.

In its heyday, the Concord Suite boasted a dance hall, a popular wedding venue and was the go-to destination for community events.

The brutalist structure has been through many different hands over the years. But it has been vacant ever since the Greater Manchester Pension Fund relocated in 2015.

Now it’s set to be partly demolished. In order to keep the surrounding shop units intact the ground and first floor will be retained, but the rest of the four-storey building will be bulldozed.

The dance hall, function rooms and former council offices will all go. A temporary flat, weatherproof roof will be installed following demolition.

It’s the end of an era for Droylsden.

Tameside council has deliberately not included any further redevelopment plans in their proposals. A more comprehensive redevelopment plan is anticipated to come further down the line.

After approving the Droylsden masterplan almost 18 months ago, this is the first major stepping stone towards regeneration taken by town hall bosses. In the masterplan, there were three options put on the table for the Concord Suite – refurbish; part-demolish and refurbish; or a complete demolition and rebuild into something new.

The council has opted for part-demolition as the retrofit idea proved to be too costly. Full demolition was seen as too impactful on the businesses that skirt around the bottom of the building.

The local authority says this project will create new opportunities for residents, businesses and visitors while strengthening the town centre for future generations.

One complication is that Droylsden Shopping Centre, which surrounds it, is actually owned by a company called New Era. The council only part-owns the landmark building itself.

This means any scheme involving the site has to involve the property company. However, New Era has previously spoken about their keenness to rejuvenate the shopping centre and the Concord Suite itself.

Cllr Andrew McLaren, executive member, growth, housing and homelessness said: 

“Residents and businesses told us they wanted to see progress on the Concord Suite and a clear plan for its future. This application signals real progress and demonstrates our commitment to turning long-held ambitions into action.

“We want to see this site once again playing an important role at the heart of Droylsden, creating a better, greener, and more vibrant town centre for everyone and helping attract further investment into the town centre.

“This application is an important milestone, but it is also only one part of a much bigger programme of regeneration across Tameside. We will continue working with partners, investors and funding bodies to help unlock the future potential of this site and deliver the wider vision for Droylsden town centre.”

This hasn’t been the only development in recent months in Droylsden. Plans for a 192-home scheme for the marina have also been tabled.

Developers, True North Partnerships and CERT, want to build three apartment blocks on the land adjacent to the Lock Keepers site, behind the old library. All the homes would be affordable (up to 80 per cent of market rate), according to developers.

This would eventually link to the shopping centre via the canal park proposed in the masterplan.

The Droylsden masterplan also includes the makeover of the town squares and the creation of exhibition and event spaces. Tameside council leader Eleanor Wills previously likened their plan for Droylsden Square to Hebden Bridge, an idyllic town in the Pennines.

Droylsden is the only Tameside town on the inside of the M60, meaning it is the closest geographically to Manchester. With key infrastructure such as Metrolink already operational, there is belief among planners that it can undergo ‘transformational change’ and become a go-to spot for locals and punters from further afield.

There are a number of key projects being designed to help to ‘revitalise the town centre and attract people to use it more sustainably, more often and for longer’.

Here is a breakdown of the other aspects of the masterplan…

Town Squares

Droylsden Square would still mainly be used as a car park – like it is now – under the masterplan. But it would undergo a make-over with more greenery and see a new event space installed to be used for concerts, market days or the Christmas lights switch on.

Villemomble Square would see a huge aesthetic makeover, as it holds a key position on the crossroads of Manchester Road and Market Street and is the face of the town centre, whether punters arrive by tram or passing by car.

Greenside Mill

The vision for Greenside Mill is not really in the control of the council, due it being privately owned, but the masterplan seeks to support it as an important employment centre. The council believes some private sector investment is required to restore the building and protect it against further decay.

A new branding strategy to market the mill and to raise the profile of the businesses has also been suggested. The idea is that it could then reach a wider audience, which could make it more of a destination for visitors to the town and potentially include new work spaces.

Neighbourhoods

An ambition of the masterplan is to create an environmentally sustainable neighbourhood that is well connected to the town centre. According to the local authority, the two 1960s estates to the east of Market Street lack connections, have unsafe alleyways and back onto the main streets in the town.

In addition to the new housing developments coming into the town already, the council wants to redevelop these estates. The plan includes creating energy efficient housing and better designed streets that encourage people to walk to and from the town centre.