‘Oldham’s time is now’: The new business scheme promising to ring in a new era for an overlooked town

A new community hub in Oldham promises to give local start-ups and entrepreneurs a ‘helping hand’ to establish their businesses.

The co-working space in the Spindles Town Centre Shopping Centre was created by Oldham Council and will be co-run by social enterprise Upturn, who help people from ‘disadvantaged backgrounds’ into business. 

Council leaders, local MPs and business leaders celebrated the launch of the ‘Hive’, claiming it was a ‘turning point’ for the borough. 

The co-working space will have rentable desks and workspaces.

But staff from Oldham’s investment team and Upturn will also be on hand to provide business advice and support for accessing grants. 

The rooms are ultimately supposed to become home to a co-operative ‘business community’, with Oldham Council pledging to give local firms ‘first dibs’ on local contracts.

Oldham Mayor Zahid Chauhan said he also hoped to see a ‘progression’ with businesses finding their feet in the new space and then moving into empty shop units within the shopping centre and high streets to populate the town with independent enterprises. 

Local MP Jim McMahon added that he wanted to see the foundation of a new retail core based on local people and their networks.  

Mr McMahon said: “Many town centres used to be propped up by big stores like Debenhams or BHS. Oldham had both of those and they don’t exist anywhere now except online. 

“But what does exist are local people who are born and bred in Oldham, who have invested their life savings in some cases to create something in Oldham.

"I want Oldham people to get behind this.

“In a town like Oldham where there’s so many things you could do, people can’t quite see the wood for the trees.

"What we’re beginning to see now is a plan coming together that tells a story that’s more than the sum of its parts.”

  

The business centre is the final phase in the plan to re-invent Spindles shopping mall, which the council bought in 2020 for £9.5m.

At the time, the council came under public fire for the decision which was perceived as financially reckless as shoppers increasingly moved online. 

The multi-million pound revamp has included moving the council offices into the upper floors of the shopping centre earlier this year.

The Civic Centre, previously home to civic services, is tipped for demolition under plans to build 2,000 new homes in the town centre. 

And construction works are progressing to create a new market hall for the Tommyfield traders, who are also due to move by Spring 2025.

The works have cost the council upwards of £24m, funded through government grants and the council’s capital spending pot. 

Council leader Arooj Shah believes the investment is ‘worth it’. 

“We wanted to make a difference to the town. We want people to be proud of where they live,” she said. 

Speaking about the Hive, she added: “This is absolutely money well-spent.

"We have to have something for everybody.

"When you get business minds together and you give them the foundations to create really good thriving businesses, they will benefit the local economy and the whole town. 

“I want this to be a blueprint for towns and cities across the country. … We’ve got a town centre now that is ready for the future.” 

Jonny Reynolds, Secretary of State for Business and Trade and MP for neighbouring Stalybridge and Hyde, recently stated that he wanted to see ‘exemplars’ of ‘great northern towns’ forging the path for regeneration projects.

He attended the launch of the Hive too and asked if Oldham could become one of those examples, he said: “When I come to Oldham … I see real practical things happening. 

“The kind of imaginative vision you see here, the collaboration, an absolutely first-class space… there are absolutely some things here with significance for the whole country.”

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