The three areas could be given new development powers under plans unveiled by Greater Manchester leaders.
Proposals have been submitted for three new Mayoral Development Corporations (MDCs) – statutory bodies established by the mayor to drive development in defined areas.
Because they’re responsible for regeneration, MDCs can be granted powers including land acquisition, planning and infrastructure delivery.
If approved, the new MDCs would focus on Bolton town centre, Oldham and the neighbouring towns of Ashton-under-Lyne and Stalybridge. The plans build on the model used in Stockport, where an MDC launched in 2019 helped deliver thousands of homes and transport upgrades.
In Bolton, areas including Church Wharf, Crompton Place and Trinity Quarter would benefit from new homes and improved transport links to the town’s £48m transport interchange.
Meanwhile, Oldham’s proposed MDC would focus on the £70m SportsTown masterplan, which aims to transform the area around Boundary Park. MPs claims the scheme could support wider town centre regeneration and jobs, as well as existing projects such as Northern Roots.
Elsewhere, Tameside – specifically Ashton and Stalybridge – could gain 3,000 new homes if an MDC was established. It would focus on transport-led regeneration, including local rail lines, as they join Manchester’s Bee Network.
The proposals, which are currently up for public consultation, form part of Greater Manchester’s wider growth strategy, backed by its £1bn Good Growth Fund.
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: ‘Over the past decade, Greater Manchester has been the fastest growing economy in the UK – but we know that growth has not been felt equally in all parts of our city region.’
‘Our number one priority is to deliver a new decade of good growth that lifts all of our places, and the proud communities that call them home,’ he continued. ‘That’s why we’re backing Bolton, Oldham, and Tameside with plans for new Mayoral Development Corporations – so they can remove barriers to development and bring forward new homes, jobs, and community assets for generations to come.’
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