{"id":560546,"date":"2025-11-10T02:13:19","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T02:13:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/560546\/"},"modified":"2025-11-10T02:13:19","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T02:13:19","slug":"so-many-greater-manchester-town-centres-are-changing-but-what-about-droylsden","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/560546\/","title":{"rendered":"So many Greater Manchester town centres are changing, but what about Droylsden?"},"content":{"rendered":"

The town of Droylsden has been waiting for investment for years, and now it’s on the precipice of change\"DroylsdenDroylsden town centre(Image: LDRS)<\/p>\n

Droylsden has been waiting for change for years, and locals won\u2019t have to wait too much longer for that dream to become a reality.<\/p>\n

In spring, a vision to transform the fabric of the town was finally signed off. Tameside<\/a>\u2019s closest area to Manchester city centre<\/a> was seen as having disconnected neighbourhoods, underutilised spaces, poor quality public realms and no clear gateways.<\/p>\n

The Droylsden<\/a> masterplan was designed to rectify those very issues holding it back.<\/p>\n

To see planning applications; traffic and road diversions and layout changes; and more, visit the Public Notices Portal HERE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

With key infrastructure such as Metrolink<\/a> already operational, there is belief among planners that it can undergo \u2018transformational change\u2019 and become a go-to spot for locals and punters from further afield.<\/p>\n

There is hope the town, just four miles from Manchester city centre, can benefit from the successful regeneration of East Manchester – where the Etihad Campus and new Co-Op Live Arena are now thriving.<\/p>\n

\"VisionVision for Droylsden in Tameside Councils masterplan(Image: Tameside Council)<\/p>\n

Junction and road improvements to the A662, which bisects Droylsden, as well as the installation of active travel routes to promote walking, cycling and wheeling are just one aspect of the plan. This would help locals move throughout the town easier, but there are six key projects being designed to help to \u2018revitalise the town centre and attract people to use it more sustainably, more often and for longer\u2019.<\/p>\n

Some \u00a3163,000 of government funding has recently been approved, which would look into the A662 works as well as smaller makeovers of the town squares.<\/p>\n

The crown jewel amongst these plans would be the Hollinwood<\/a> Canal Park. This would re-establish a north-south connection between the Marina and the retail core.<\/p>\n

Next to where Tesco<\/a> and Droylsden Shopping Centre currently sit, a new centre park and active travel route would be created along the old alignment of the canal. This will provide access between local amenities and create a people focused, safe route, the council says.<\/p>\n

Ever since the masterplan was officially signed off by town hall bosses in May, there has been radio silence. Compared to Ashton<\/a>, Stalybridge<\/a> and Denton<\/a> where regeneration plans are gathering momentum, there has been a worry Droylsden would be left behind again.<\/p>\n

\"EntranceEntrance to the Concord Suite, Droylsden(Image: LDRS)<\/p>\n

This lack of pace is a concern repeatedly mentioned by Droylsden representatives at full council meetings. But in September, land around the marina where Droylsden Library and adjacent Lock Keepers site lies was sold off by the local authority in order to unlock a new housing development.<\/p>\n

This decision finally gets the wheels in motion for the lock keepers site, which has been earmarked for housing for years but left in limbo. The positive news has sparked questions over what\u2019s next for Droylsden’s redevelopment and how this new housing site fits into that.<\/p>\n

Join the Manchester Evening News <\/strong>WhatsApp<\/strong> group <\/strong>HERE<\/a><\/p>\n

Coun Andrew McLaren, deputy leader and executive member for growth, housing and homelessness at Tameside council, recently told locals in Droylsden they could expect an \u2018exciting update\u2019 before Christmas<\/a>. This update would depend on negotiations with wider development partners and New Era, who own a large proportion of the Concord Suite site at the heart of the regeneration project.<\/p>\n

The council boss also mentioned how they are working to try and connect the marina site to the wider development through the canalside path being touted in the scheme.<\/p>\n

What the impending Droylsden update would entail remains a mystery.<\/p>\n

Here is a more in depth look at each aspect of the Droylsden masterplan\u2026<\/p>\n

The canal park\"CGICGI of how Hollinwood Canal Park could look(Image: Tameside Council)<\/p>\n

The crown jewel amongst these plans would be the Hollinwood Canal Park. This would re-establish a north-south connection between the Marina and the retail core.<\/p>\n

Next to where Tesco and Droylsden Shopping Centre currently sit, a new centre park and active travel route would be created along the old alignment of the canal. This will provide access between local amenities and create a people focused, safe route, the council says.<\/p>\n

Town squares\"CGICGI of how Droylsden Square could look(Image: Tameside Council)<\/p>\n

Droylsden Square would still mainly be used as a car park – like it is now – under the masterplan. But it would undergo a facelift with greenery and see a new event space installed to be used for concerts, market days or the Christmas lights switch on.<\/p>\n

Villemomble Square would see a huge aesthetic makeover, as it holds a key position on the crossroads of Manchester Road and Market Street<\/a> and is the face of the town centre, whether punters arrive by tram or passing by car.<\/p>\n

Tree planters, street lighting and new seating areas to complement the thriving businesses situated there are all envisioned in the masterplan.<\/p>\n

Greenside Mill\"DroylsdenDroylsden town centre(Image: LDRS)<\/p>\n

The vision for Greenside Mill is not really in the control of the council, due it being privately owned, but the masterplan seeks to support it as an important employment centre. The council believes some private sector investment is required to restore the building and protect it against further decay.<\/p>\n

A new branding strategy to market the mill and to raise the profile of the businesses has also been suggested. The idea is that it could then reach a wider audience, which could make it more of a destination for visitors to the town and potentially include new work spaces.<\/p>\n

Reimagining neighbourhoods\"EmptyEmpty shops and shutters down in Droylsden town centre(Image: LDRS)<\/p>\n

An ambition of the masterplan is to create an environmentally sustainable neighbourhood that is well connected to the town centre. According to the local authority, the two 1960s estates to the east of Market Street lack connections, have unsafe alleyways and back onto the main streets in the town.<\/p>\n

In addition to the new housing developments coming into the town already, the council wants to redevelop these estates. The plan includes creating energy efficient housing and better designed streets that encourage people to walk to and from the town centre.<\/p>\n

The masterplan also seeks to develop safer spaces and streets for the young and old to use and provide a communal garden space for growing food.<\/p>\n

Concord Suite\"ConcordConcord Suite CGI, part of New Era’s vision for a new Droylsden(Image: New Era)<\/p>\n

The last piece of the puzzle would be the iconic building in the heart of the town, the Concord Suite. The council believes this site plays a key role in the image of the town as it is visible from the main road junction and from the tram stop.<\/p>\n

Currently there is consultation underway about how to best redevelop the space. The first option would see the building refurbished and bring it back into use whilst also improving the surrounding ground floor shopping parades.<\/p>\n

The second option would retain the Concord Suite but demolish the surrounding shopping parade to make way for a new modern development. The third option is to bulldoze the building completely to make way for a rebuild.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The town of Droylsden has been waiting for investment for years, and now it’s on the precipice of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":101439,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8813],"tags":[748,30761,393,4884,2465,285,1026,16499,16,15],"class_list":{"0":"post-560546","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-manchester","8":"tag-britain","9":"tag-droylsden","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\/115522989917427500","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/560546","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=560546"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/560546\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/101439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=560546"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=560546"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=560546"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}