UDP Chapter 2 - Strategic Overview - Town Centres & Shopping
Unitary Development Plan
Chapter 2 : Strategic Overview
Town Centres & Shopping
Key
| 2.17 | The separate development of small manufacturing towns in the Tameside area resulted in the emergence of seven distinct town centres all situated within a few miles of each other and serving what would originally have been mostly independent, walk-in catchment areas. This pattern has largely survived and therefore, in contrast to some other metropolitan districts, no single centre dominates the pattern of shopping and services in the Borough and floorspace provision is more widely dispersed. Whilst Ashton-under-Lyne is the largest, the centres of Hyde, Denton, Droylsden and Stalybridge, no more than three miles apart, continue to draw trade from sizeable catchment areas, with Dukinfield and Mossley serving more localised areas. |
| 2.18 | In the established shopping hierarchy in Greater Manchester, Ashton-under-Lyne is classed as a sub-regional centre, Hyde as a large district centre, Stalybridge, Denton and Droylsden as medium sized district centres, and Dukinfield and Mossley as small district centres. Although new shopping precincts were built in Ashton, Hyde and Droylsden in the late 1960's, and parts of Stalybridge pedestrianised in the early 1970's, all of the town centres in Tameside have visibly suffered from lack of investment during the 70's and 80's and also in some instances from the impact of increasing levels of traffic. Much spending power has been leaking away during this time to larger, improving centres outside of the Borough. |
| 2.19 | In order to redress this, the shopping precinct in Hyde has recently been comprehensively refurbished and most of it enclosed, with complementary improvements to Market Place and the Civic Square. A major pedestrianisation and enhancement scheme is nearing completion in the main shopping streets of Ashton town centre, and car park, market ground and precinct improvements have been started in Droylsden. Much preparatory work has also been carried out for a large scale shopping development in Ashton town centre which could start shortly. |
| 2.20 | Transportation studies have been carried out to derive highway proposals which should improve accessibility to Ashton town centre and further examination will be taking place into options for improving traffic circulation in Hyde and Stalybridge centres. At the same time, increasing recognition of the value of the surviving Victorian heritage in Ashton and Stalybridge is leading to the emergence of regeneration strategies based on conservation. |
| 2.21 | One of the principal changes affecting retailing over the last 20 years has been the increasing dominance of the multiples and the growth in the average size of stores, which has led to large food stores and those specialising in bulky non-food goods typically moving out of the high street to locations on the edge of centres or near major road junctions. More recently, this trend towards decentralisation has widened to include retail parks, twin major stores and new free standing regional centres, one of the latter having been agreed in principle on the western side of Greater Manchester. |
| 2.22 | In line with national trends, several large, free standing, food superstores and non-food retail stores have been developed in Tameside, mostly in the last few years, either on the edge of town centres as at Ashton and Hyde, or elsewhere within the urban area as at Dukinfield, Denton and The Snipe (on the border of Ashton and Audenshaw). However, no single, large, out-of-centre retail concentration has been developed in Tameside, although planning permission has been granted on appeal to increase the number of non-food retail stores at The Snipe. |
| 2.23 | New large, free standing retail schemes are essentially aimed at car borne shoppers and are frequently less convenient for people relying on public transport. There is concern that schemes of this kind could affect the vitality and viability of established shopping centres, particularly in an area like Tameside with a pattern of closely spaced smaller centres, through direct competition for trade, loss of key stores and deferral of further investment. The Council remains concerned therefore about the potential impact on its town centres of such developments which may be proposed in other districts. |
Page last updated: 5 September 2006