Ashton-under-Lyne Town Centre Management Initiative - Manchester, Stamford Street

Date: 16 Jan 2002

Demonstrating investor confidence in the Greater Manchester town of Ashton-under-Lyne, almost £2million pounds is currently being spent on improving a number of properties along Stamford Street in the 'Old Town' area.

Peter Hawley, town centre marketing manager is delighted with this situation and explained: "Today's Ashton-under-Lyne is performing very well in comparison with our near neighbours such as Oldham and Stockport, and has been doing so for quite some time. Investors are beginning to see strong returns and are therefore much more confident in making further investments in the town. There are currently twelve properties being improved or refurbished on Stamford Street, most of which have received support from grants available through a Commercial Improvement Area scheme. These involve the complete restoration of a Victorian shopping arcade costing £1million which has already be pre-let, to the total rebuilding of the external structure of a major nightclub".

"Immediately prior to Christmas two new bars and a new nightclub opened, further supporting the town's vibrant evening economy. Plus, refurbishment work has also started on several formerly void properties and more new businesses are expected to open in the 'Old Town' area throughout the forthcoming year. Further alterations to the existing infrastructure will assist with traffic calming, and improved crossing points for pedestrians at several road junctions will help create a more pedestrian-friendly environment on Stamford Street", he explained.

"Actually, these developments are now typical of what's happening in the town centre as a whole", explained Chairman of the Town Centre Steering Group, Councillor Alan Whitehead. "Work is about to commence in the Ladysmith Shopping Centre to introduce a passenger lift adjoining the existing escalator, to take shoppers up to the first floor where J D Sports are creating a brand new 12,000 sq. ft retail outlet. I am very pleased to report that Marks and Spencer are about to commence a complete refit of their store. And excitingly, work is due to commence early in 2002 subject to pre-letting, to demolish the former car park ramp site at the rear of the Ladysmith Centre, and to create in it's place, a new £1,000,000, 2 storey unit suitable for a department store or similar usage".

With the town's new motorway connections, Ashton-under-Lyne is rapidly becoming a major destination for visitors and shoppers. Latest pedestrian foot flow figures collected independently in the summer of 2001 by the Greater Manchester Transportation Unit (even before the motorway was opened) show that over 134,000 movements take place per week (that's almost 7,000,000 per year!). This indicates an increase of 9.1% over the previous year!

"In the last two years, Tameside Council, assisted by the European Regional Development Fund and the Heritage Lottery Fund, has itself made massive investment into the fabric of the town centre including the introduction of new street furniture, planters and hanging baskets. This lead to Ashton inning three awards in its debut in Britain in Bloom, ncluding the 'Best Newcomer' category, and as a result, visitors tell us that coming to Ashton really is a pleasant experience", added Councillor Whitehead.

Ashton currently offers a strong mix of familiar high street names such as Marks & Spencer, Next, Boots, Iceland and Dorothy Perkins with the specialist independent retail area offered by the 'Old Town'.

Where do I go now?: » View the latest news items » View the news archive » Subscribe to Weekly Property Newsletter » Submit news