{"id":149281,"date":"2025-06-01T11:06:21","date_gmt":"2025-06-01T11:06:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/149281\/"},"modified":"2025-06-01T11:06:21","modified_gmt":"2025-06-01T11:06:21","slug":"this-greater-manchester-town-is-undergoing-a-huge-facelift-but-will-it-change-the-price-of-a-pint","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/149281\/","title":{"rendered":"This Greater Manchester town is undergoing a huge facelift, but will it change the price of a pint?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The town centre is set to undergo a massive transformation over the course of the next decade\"ConstructionConstruction site on Market Square, in the heart of Ashton town centre (Image: LDRS)<\/p>\n

Ashton town centre is currently a building site, with construction workers in Hi Vis and diggers clanging and banging where the market stalls used to be.<\/p>\n

At the beginning of the year the area where the fixed market stalls used to sit was bulldozed. Piles of rubble have been visible on Market Square for the last few months, but now the foundations of a \u00a314.6m project are seeing progress.<\/p>\n

The scheme will see a large canopy containing 10 market kiosks built – replacing the old units. The new covering will provide outdoor market traders with protection from the weather<\/a> and is expected to become a hub for events and cultural activities, according to Tameside<\/a> Council.<\/p>\n

Until the work is finished at the end of 2025, locals will have to persist with skirting around the edges of Market Square to go about their daily lives.<\/p>\n

The Manchester Evening News<\/a> went out to speak to those still tottering around the noisy town centre.<\/p>\n

Many were unconvinced about how the works would actually benefit the town.<\/p>\n

Kathleen Cross was taking a break from shopping on a bench just outside the market hall – also touted to become a nightlife hotspot with bars and food stalls earmarked. The pensioner didn\u2019t think the plans for the food and drink hub would be her cup of tea, she just wants a town centre to be proud of.<\/p>\n

\"KathleenKathleen Cross, 78, wants an Ashton town centre to be proud of(Image: LDRS)<\/p>\n

The 78-year-old Ashtonian said: \u201cThey keep changing the market, now they\u2019re changing it again, but it\u2019s taking a long time.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s more of the same, all the shops are closing. It\u2019s just takeaways and hairdressers now.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe town centre is going downhill and nothing seems to be changing. I hope I\u2019m proven wrong though.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want a town centre I can be proud of. I don\u2019t want to travel further away for my shopping, I\u2019m older now so I don\u2019t want to go too far.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AshtonAshton Under Lyne outdoor market before it was bulldozed(Image: Manchester Evening News)<\/p>\n

Just a few benches down, a woman from Hyde<\/a> took a break from her sausage roll to share her thoughts.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think they\u2019re wasting their money,\u201d she told the M.E.N<\/a>. \u201cThe market traders have all gone now as a result.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think they should spend their money better elsewhere, on children’s services and homelessness for example.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a big issue, they\u2019re on the streets and need help. They should spend money repurposing empty buildings for the homeless.\u201d<\/p>\n

The plans include a large new canopy on the market square(Image: Tameside council)<\/p>\n

The new Market Square canopy and the altered market hall aren\u2019t the only town changes on the cards though. A recently approved plan would see a shake up of the Arcades and Ladysmith shopping centres to ‘better suit the needs of locals’.<\/p>\n

The phased development would see majority of the retail offer transferred to the Arcades, with Ladysmith making way for hundreds of new homes. The Arcades would become the central hub for shopping – with a cinema and leisure facilities all earmarked for the first floor.<\/p>\n

The vacant space where the old bus station once stood would also become home to a new public realm with an improved link to the train station.<\/p>\n

\"ConstructionConstruction site on Market Square, in the heart of Ashton town centre (Image: LDRS)<\/p>\n

Tameside Council bosses believe the overarching town centre plan, financed by the \u00a320m Levelling Up funding, would ‘futureproof’ the town for years to come.<\/p>\n

Analysing the construction site at the foot of the two shopping centres, Stuart Parker is skeptical.<\/p>\n

The 73-year-old from Dukinfield said: \u201cI just don\u2019t understand the overall development to be honest by taking away Ladysmith. It\u2019s all going to be houses.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted. They should\u2019ve done this years ago when people lived here in the centre, not now everyone has moved out.<\/p>\n

\"StuartStuart Parker, watching the construction work going on in Ashton’s Market Square(Image: LDRS)<\/p>\n

\u201cBack in the 1970s when we joined Greater Manchester Combined Authority we had eight markets, one for each town. We don\u2019t have a market in any now really – that sums up the situation for towns at the moment.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope it takes off, but I can\u2019t see it.\u201d<\/p>\n

The general consensus amongst locals is of scepticism and a distant hope. They believe the town centre has suffered in recent years and there isn\u2019t much belief things can get better.<\/p>\n

With examples of Altrincham<\/a> Market and Bury<\/a> Market in the city-region being a success story for redevelopment, there are still some who are praying this latest town centre facelift can strike gold.<\/p>\n

Sitting with his coffee outside a caf\u00e9 on the corner of Market Street<\/a> and Market Avenue, Terry Perkins is watching the world go by. He is one of the few people positive about the planned changes.<\/p>\n

\"TerryTerry Perkins, 82, sat having a coffee in Ashton town centre (Image: LDRS)<\/p>\n

The 82-year-old said: \u201cIt can only improve the town, which is positive. Unfortunately markets are dying off really.<\/p>\n

\u201cOldham<\/a>\u2019s and Hyde’s are a lot quieter than they used to be. If they improve they may just last longer.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnline has done a lot of damage to the town centre. People can get something delivered the next day.<\/p>\n

If you look around it\u2019s mainly older people in and around the market.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe they\u2019re going to have a stage in the new canopy and they\u2019re trying to bring more attractions and bars etc to try and bring younger people.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m quite hopeful. If they don\u2019t change, markets will die off.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ConstructionConstruction site on Market Square, in the heart of Ashton town centre (Image: LDRS)<\/p>\n

Gareth Williams, born and raised in Ashton<\/a>, now lives in Blackpool and says he\u2019d go to the seaside town over Ashton any day. But his main concern was the price of a pint, because it\u2019s famously cheap in Tameside\u2019s civic town.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not really spending any time here, I\u2019m just here now and again. I wouldn\u2019t want to come here, I prefer Blackpool.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Blackpool it\u2019s pretty lively but here it\u2019s getting worse and worse. Back in the day they used to do a day trip from Rhyl to Ashton market, but I can\u2019t see them doing that now.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a cheap pint though here. If this redevelopment is built and they charge more that could close up pubs.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a worry if this raises prices. All the pubs sell pints for around \u00a32, so if they open that canopy and sell pints for \u00a34, that won\u2019t work will it.\u201d<\/p>\n

What Tameside Council say\"CGICGI of how St Peterfield in Ashto could look connected to the town centre(Image: Tameside Council)<\/p>\n

Coun Andrew McLaren, deputy leader and executive member for growth, housing and homelessness, said: \u201cThese plans build on the progress already underway through the Ashton Mayoral Development Zone. By linking together key sites and opportunities both public and private, we\u2019re creating a stronger foundation for growth.<\/p>\n

“Through the Ashton Growth Corridor and Mayoral Development Zone, we\u2019re combining major investment, strategic planning, and a new regeneration partnership to deliver homes, jobs, and vibrant public spaces across Ashton town centre.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The town centre is set to undergo a massive transformation over the course of the next decadeConstruction site…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":149282,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8813],"tags":[1379,748,393,4884,2465,285,1026,16499,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-149281","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-manchester","8":"tag-ashton-and-mossley","9":"tag-britain","10":"tag-england","11":"tag-great-britain","12":"tag-manchester","13":"tag-politics","14":"tag-tameside","15":"tag-tameside-council","16":"tag-uk","17":"tag-united-kingdom"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114607789913839321","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149281","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=149281"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/149281\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/149282"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=149281"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=149281"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=149281"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}