How the face of Ashton could soon change

​​​​​​​Tameside council revealed they have put pen to paper and purchased the Ladysmith Shopping Centre in the heart of Ashton-under-Lyne.

Heralded as a major step in a massive regeneration plan, the site is a central part of the authority’s strategy to bring key sites into public ownership – which it is hoped will allow regeneration to be delivered at pace and scale.

The shopping centre will continue to operate as normal under council ownership while a long-term masterplan is developed through engagement with the centre’s current retail and leisure occupiers.

Emerging plans Ladysmith will reflect a long-term vision to deliver a modern, mixed-use town centre including residential and commercial, retail and leisure space. The vision hopes to bring increased week-round footfall into the town centre.

The future development looks likely to see the majority of the Ladysmith’s retail offer transferred to the Arcades. The Ladysmith would be bulldozed to make way for 306 new homes under the proposals.

The Arcades would then become the central hub for shopping, with a cinema and leisure facilities earmarked for the first floor. A further 166 homes would be created through multiple smaller housing developments in the area, including St Petersfield.

The 151,502 sq ft shopping centre is located centrally in Ashton town centre, adjacent to the Grade II-listed Town Hall. The centre opens directly onto Market Square, recently transformed by a £10.8m investment.

Market Square was a building site for over a year, but now the scheme to bring a new public space and a covered market for street food, markets and year-round events has come to fruition. The wider regeneration of Ashton could see thousands more homes built as well as the region’s first fully-integrated Bee Network station – connecting Metrolink, bus and train services.

The vacant space where the old bus station once stood would become home to a new public realm with an improved link to the train station. Filling the space left by the old station would be 466 new homes and 5,710 sqm of ‘active ground floor space’, connecting the town centre to its transport hubs.

The masterplan is aimed at ensuring people can move about the town centre safely and easily; creating welcoming ‘gateways’; bringing more visitors to the town; and building on public realm improvements in Market Square.

This acquisition forms the latest milestone in the £1bn borough-wide regeneration that will reposition Tameside as one of the UK’s best connected and most investable locations. Backed by a dedicated Growth Unit, the council has secured over £250m of public investment to unlock a development pipeline that will deliver over 5,000 new homes, 3,000 new skilled jobs and vibrant, experience-led town centres designed for modern living.

Eleanor Wills, leader of Tameside council, said: “This acquisition is a statement of intent for Ashton and for Tameside as a whole. The residents of Ashton deserve to see meaningful change in their town centre, and this is us taking direct action to make it happen.

“Combined with the new market, the public realm improvements and the town hall restoration, we are building a town centre that the community can be proud to live and work in.”

The last update on the transformation of Ashton came back in February, with plans for the revamp of the town hall taking another step closer to reality. New designs were put out to public consultation by the council.

Last year town hall bosses in Tameside vowed to restore the Grade-II listed building by 2030. 

The town hall was vacated in 2015 and slowly degraded in the years that followed. Last year essential repairs to the façade, parapet and the main steps were made, but now the local authority is progressing with design work to return it to its former glory.

A revitalised council chamber and function room; community spaces; commercial space for a wine bar, coffee shop, and restaurant; office plots; and a possible extension are all on the cards for the restoration.

The ballroom and council chamber would be restored for community, cultural and civic use. The idea behind the scheme is to make the town hall a ‘lively and vibrant building again, helping improve Ashton town centre and supporting local pride in the area’s history’.

With the town hall, market square and the shopping centre projects all surging ahead – the face of Ashton is sure to change beyond recognition in the coming years.