The ‘monstrous £5 million scheme’ that ‘no one wanted’
Reporter: Charlotte Hall, Local Democracy Reporter
Date published: 10 March 2025
A historic picture of the Big Lamp roundabout in Shaw. Image courtesy of the Oldham Liberal Democrats
Plans for a ‘monstrous scheme’ have been scrapped in after local residents called it ‘totally pointless’.
The £5m project would have brought a new ‘Cyclops-style’ junction system to a famous roundabout in Shaw.
The aim was to make the crossing safer and encourage active travel through new cycle lanes.
But locals vehemently opposed the scheme, describing it as a ‘waste of money’ that would ‘destroy Shaw’s last recognisable landmark’, the ‘Big Lamp Roundabout’.
Oldham council today confirmed the proposal would not go ahead, despite securing funding from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority to complete the £3m to £5m project.
The decision came after pressure from ward councillors, the town council and a 500-strong local interest group ‘Supporters of the Big Lamp Roundabout Shaw Oldham’.
The community was spearheaded by long-term local resident Beverley McManus, 63, who told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “A lot of people were very unhappy.
"[The works] would cause gridlock traffic and cut off the high street, which would kill the local businesses.
“It’s also an iconic landmark for Shaw.
"I was born and bred here and it’s been here all my life.
"It greets you as you’re coming into Shaw.
"We’ve got nothing else in the town to identify us – no town hall, no police station, no baths.
"Everything’s been taken from us, and that’s our last identifying feature.”
Beverley (above) added: “If it’s not broken, don’t fix it.
"It was a daft idea from the start.
"I’m so pleased they’ve seen sense.”
Ward councillors Howard Sykes and Marc Hince also opposed the roundabout.
Liberal democrat councillor Sykes previously stated the scheme for an ‘eye-watering sum … beggars belief’, while Hince called the plans a ‘monstrous scheme’.
Council leader Arooj Shah said the council bid for the money believing the changes ‘could be beneficial for our residents’.
“Based the strength of feeling after the scheme landed with the public and key local stakeholders – including the Town Council – we will not be progressing with these plans,” she confirmed.
While many residents celebrated the decision online, with a number saying there was ‘no justifiable reason’ to bulldoze the landmark, some responded with eye-roll emojis.
One resident admitted to ‘never noticing the landmark in all the years she’d driven past it’, while another noted ‘the lamp isn’t even that big’.
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