A major £32 million regeneration project has officially broken ground in Oldham, set to transform a largely unused car park into a vibrant new neighbourhood with hundreds of homes.
From Car Park to Community: The Princes Gate Vision
Work can now begin in earnest at the Princes Gate site in Oldham Mumps, after developer Muse met all necessary environmental pre-conditions this week. The scheme, backed by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), will finally bring a key piece of council-owned land back into productive use, following several failed commercial proposals for the plot over the years.
The project at the end of Yorkshire Street will see the construction of three distinctive red-brick towers, rising 16, 12, and six storeys high. In total, they will deliver 331 new apartments, comprising 159 one-bedroom, 141 two-bedroom, and 31 three-bedroom units. Significantly, 75 of these homes will be offered for social rent, addressing a critical need for affordable housing in the borough.
A Car-Light, Connected Development
Designed with sustainable travel in mind, the development will be predominantly 'car-free', providing only 18 car parking spaces. Its location, just minutes from Oldham Mumps Metrolink station, encourages residents to use public transport. The ground floors of the blocks will feature new commercial units, which could house cafes, shops, or community facilities such as creches and health services.
Oldham Council Leader, Arooj Shah, stated: "This 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."
Breaking the 'Curse' of the Mumps Site
The project is financed by a £31.5 million allocation from the GMCA's £1 billion Good Growth Fund, dedicated to supporting large-scale regeneration across the city-region. Once complete, it will finally 'break the curse' of the problematic Mumps site, where plans for both an M&S and a Lidl supermarket famously collapsed at the last minute in previous years.
With initial groundworks already underway, main construction is poised to proceed as soon as weather conditions allow, now that the council has formally discharged the required biodiversity assessments for the site.
