Ashton-under-Lyne Town Centre

The Town

Ashton-under-Lyne, popular not only for its famous market ground and more modern retail developments, but also for its compact, flat and accessible town centre.

Plentiful, inexpensive car parking, plus a new bus station and upgraded rail connections attract millions of visitors a year to the town.  The Arcades Shopping Centre, which offers 65,000 square feet of high quality retail space with over 500 car parking spaces of its own, and adjoining Ladysmith Shopping Centre which has recently undergone a £4 million refurbishment programme, now compliments the quality retail offer of the town. Shop at Ashton Website - www.shopatashton.com

The town is a vibrant mix of retail, leisure and other attractions. It has one of the best outdoor markets in the country with over 180 stalls filled six days a week. As well as many major high street names such as Marks & Spencer, Boots the Chemist, Next, The Burton Group, Woolworths and W H Smith, it also offers a thriving indoor market in the Victorian Market Hall.

The Old Town area developed during Victorian times and features a wide variety of specialist shops and independent stores offering a delightful range of items which compliment the national multiples.  This area has benefited from Conservation and Commercial Improvement Area grants, aiding the upkeep of traditional Victorian style shopfronts.

The town centre offers a wide range of attractions with plenty of long and short stay car parking, a theatre, cinema, library, art gallery and two museums as well as the new £9 million Magistrates Court and the Council administrative headquarters.

It also enjoys a thriving nightlife due to the variety of pubs, clubs, cafes and restaurants to suit most tastes.

The History

Ashton-under-Lyne has been an important township since mediaeval times. It was the only town permitted to hold a market and fair twice a year, by Royal Charter to Sir John de Assheton in 1413. That market tradition is still strongly in evidence today.

In the late 19th century, many improvements were made to the town and much new building took place.

Many examples of Victorian architecture are still in evidence today which compliment the modern millennium designs.

There are also several magnificent listed buildings available to developers, offering superb development opportunities.

Background

Ashton-under-Lyne town centre is a recognised sub-regional shopping centre within the Greater Manchester conurbation.

It is the largest of the town centres in the Borough of Tameside.  Located close to Manchester, there is a catchment population of over 800,000 people within 10km of the town centre, and over 2 million people within a 20km radius.

Public and private investment programmes over recent years have established Ashton-under-Lyne town centre as a key shopping destination, strongly competing with other neighbouring shopping towns.

Major Improvements

The growth of retail, leisure and residential investment in Ashton-under-Lyne has followed a number of recent major improvements to the town centre.  These have included:-

Key Developments

• £15m restoration of Ashton's indoor Market Hall
• £20m development of  new 122 bed Village Hotel constructed 
• Construction of £11m St Petersfield phase 2 development - the new 40,000sqft Ashton Primary Care Centre
• New 110,000sqft office development for Greater Manchester Police
• Opening of the first town centre Ikea store in the UK
• £4m refurbishment of Ladysmith Shopping Centre to include reintroduction of integral multi storey car park
• Joint TMBC and West Pennine Housing Association £4m development of new homes in the West End plus completion of major Group Repair schemes to restore existing homes to first class condition
• Opening of the new £2.4m purpose built Community Fire Station adjoining Ashton Moss and the M60 motorway
• Redevelopment of former County Court buildings into The Point - 25 luxury apartments
• £2.50m restoration of historic Oddfellows Hall to help protect the town's heritage
• Creation of St Peters Community Partnership to help improve the quality of life for local residents
• Opening of the new £1.8m Oxford Park Community & Sports Centre offering a range of services and facilities for everyone

Future Investments

• £40m Arcades Shopping Centre development to more than double the centre in size and to contain a new transport interchange including brand new bus station and Metrolink terminus
• Major £25m redevelopment, The Gateway, to create a new 3,000sqm mixed use development of offering luxury suites, apartments, office space and retail units
• £19m project to construct 164 apartments in new residential developments - Liberty at St Petersfield
• Construction of £8.5m phase 2 of the Ashton Northern Bypass
• Phase 3 of St Petersfield to create 70,000sqft of brand new office space with eventual tenants including Tameside College and TNG and Shaw Trust already identified
• Demolition and new build of former Wesleyan School to create 35 new town centre apartments
• Upgrading and redefinition of West End Park as a new multi use public area
• Continuing development of Ashton Moss strategic development site including the Leisure Park and Industrial and Distribution Parks
• Introduction of the Metrolink light rapid tram system to Ashton-under-Lyne

The M60 Motorway was completed in the Millennium year and the Metrolink service is expected to come to Ashton-under-Lyne in 2012/13. Both will further improve the town centres accessibility for commercial, industrial and public activities. The town centre will also benefit from its position at the junction of 3 major canals, and is already capitalising on the opportunity to develop its tourism trade. A large, former canalside warehouse at Portland Basin has now been rebuilt and now hosts a prestigious social and industrial museum with commercial and leisure facilities. This has become the catalyst for the creation of an Urban Village at this idyllic canalside location.

Future Potential

The Ashton Renewal Area and Town Centre Management Initiative have been established to encourage further investment in the town.
Both initiatives harness the support of the private and public sector in developing a shared vision and strategy for the long term development of the town centre.

Ashton Renewal Area

The Ashton Renewal Area project aims to secure the regeneration and growth of Ashton-under-Lyne by attracting new investment into the town, and is involved in supporting businesses throughout the Renewal Area.  As well as attracting many millions of pounds worth of inward investment from the private sector, this initiative has successfully secured supportive funds from the European Regional Development Fund.

Town Centre Management Initiative

The Ashton Town Centre Management Initiative has undertaken projects to improve the quality of the town centre such as the

• introduction of CCTV
• refurbishment of the historic outdoor market ground as well as improvements to the attractive indoor market hall
• establishment of an annual entertainment programme with something for all ages

Ashton Town Centre Strategy

The Ashton Town Centre Strategy has been formulated to provide a blue print to direct future investment in the town. This has included identification of prime sites and buildings for development, and the development of an Entertainment Quarter and a Cultural Quarter.

Further Details

Town Centre Marketing Manager
Staveleigh House, 70 Old Street,
Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, OL6 7RX
Telephone 0161 339 3040
or Send a Message to Town Centre Marketing Manager

or click here to visit www.shopatashton.com