Oldham Beyond - Urbed

Oldham Beyond - A Vision for the Borough of Oldham - April 2004Our vision for Oldham in 15 years’ time...A confident place, at ease with itself and celebrating in its diverse communitiesand landscapes – from the tight-knit terraced communities tothe wild moors and valley villages to the east. A borough that is proudof its industrial past but which has reinvented its economy by makingthe most of the creativity and drive of its young people. The world willsee the borough as a place transformed and people will be attracted tolive and work in the borough by the quality of life that it offers and by itsreputation for tolerance and diversity.A generator of wealth:The borough will be a good place to dobusiness, where bold developments atHollinwood and Mumps have created anattractive alternative to the sterile ‘businessparks’ that characterise many towns,creating dramatic gateways to the borough.Oldham Town Centre will be a hotbed ofcreative and knowledge industries wheretalented people are attracted from elsewherebecause of the convivial environmentand affordable accommodation.The borough’s 138 mills will have beenrefurbished for new business and illuminatedas a potent symbol of the borough’stransformation.Many places not oneThe borough will be attractive as a placeto live and work because of the fusion ofcountryside and community on the doorstepof one of the great European cities. Aplace that people relate to on three levels:Neighbourhood: A constellation ofdiverse neighbourhoods, smaller townsand villages each with its own centrecreating a sense of community andproviding local services. To symbolisethis, the heart of each of thesecommunities will have been ‘marked’with a sculpture or building. Thesecommunities will be proud of theirhistory but welcoming of people fromdifferent backgrounds and there will bea much broader ethnic mix throughoutthe borough. There will, however, beneighbourhoods that remain Asian incharacter. These will become part ofOldham’s appeal because their shopsand restaurants attract people fromacross the borough and further afield.Borough: A reborn industrial boroughfocused on a thriving Oldham towncentre that attracts people from throughoutthe region because of its universitycollege, excellent cultural facilities andbroad range of shopping and leisureuses. They will come to Oldham towncentre, rather than other towns, becauseof its striking new buildings and theconvivial creative atmosphere of thecentre.City: A short Metrolink ride away willbe Manchester City Centre and beyondthe Airport, Salford Quays and theTrafford Centre. Through the new ‘tubemap’ of Greater Manchester people inOldham will feel part of the wider cityand able to access all of its opportunitiesand facilities.A desirable place to liveOldham will become a good place to livewith a range of aspirational and affordablehousing. A Smart Communities strategywill develop and consolidate compactwalkable communities around Metrolinkstops and town centres. Elsewhere in theborough some of the terraces will havebeen redeveloped to reduce densities andcreate more suburban housing. A focus ondesign quality and sustainable developmentwill have marked the borough out forits attractive and innovative housing. Thiswill have strengthened the housing marketand householders will invest in their homesin the confidence that values will rise.An ambitious peopleThe borough’s excellent education facilitieswill have created opportunities for youngpeople to achieve their full potential. The- 4 -