HOPES are high an iconic building in the centre of Droylsden, which has been the source of argument and discussion for several years, can be reborn as an aparthotel.
Ask people what they think the Concord Suite should be and you would probably get 100 different answers.
But owners New-Era Properties have ideas to turn it into accommodation so people going to either nearby Manchester City or the new Co-Op Live arena being built next to it can stay close by.
And Tameside Council leader – and Droylsden councillor Ged Cooney – is all for it.
He said as people got a glimpse of what lies inside: “They’ve got a cracking vision of what they looking at – things like aparthotels inside it.
“You’ve got a tram here, you’ve a 20,000-seater arena coming alongside the football stadium – there’s a massive growth and potential here.
“You can already see it with venues like The Silly Country, The Jam Works and Industry, as well as other bars opening.
“People are asking ‘What’s happening in Droylsden town centre?’
“People have to understand the precinct is privately-owned, it’s not owned by us and it’s a silly thing called a floating lease.
“We own the inside and the top part of the Concord, so we’re dealing with the owners of the rest, New-Era, and we’re having good negotiations.
“There’s an evening economy here but what people see and ask is, ‘Can we do anything with the Concord?’
“There are legal processes to go through, we can’t just award or give it to someone by law. It’s not our money, the council has to go through a process.
“But we’re dealing with that through New-Era and I hope they do the work on the inside as they’ve got fantastic enthusiasm.”
Patrick Franks from New-Era Properties talked through their hopes for the Concord and the surrounding area.
And Cllr Cooney believes their plans could lead to a rejuvenation of Droylsden and extra money to the town.
He added: “They own the whole of the precinct – the shops, the car park at the back – they’ve got that enthusiasm and they’ve put their money there.
“It’s just tidying up one or two things and hopefully we can get started.
“What that does then for us is it beings it inside and the top part of the Concord back to life.
“There’s already work going on at the shops around the precinct and they want to change what the offer is. It can’t just be in the evening, they want it to go through the day.
“One side will be busy, they’re trying to entice people to the other, with the tram stop and everything else.
“There’s a lot going on and with their financial resources and our support, I believe we’ll realise that potential.”
It’s a joke they obviously haven’t done there homework mentioning Industry as one of the new bars it’s actually already closed due to not being able to pay the high costs for small businesses
Electric bill from that pizza oven on all day… what’s that got to do with the council
What an absolute joke!! Ged Cooney should hang his head in shame!! The building has been like a carbuncle in the centre, for decades. These so called plans will make as much “improvement” to the town as the trams did! It very much looks as if Ged Cooney is turning our town into a satellite for Eastlands nightlife!
It’s not a hotel that is need in droylsden it’s a shopping centre and if that also means a McDonalds KFC or a Costa so be it because all these business that have been suggested in the past which would give the young people some where to go has been frowned upon because there is no where for them to meet up they can’t go in pub, but ged cooney and all the other councilers are not interested in what the people of droylsden want they are just busy helping developers get rich what social housing they have got they don’t give a dam who the council rents them to or checks who lives in them so if a hotel is built it will end up has a halfway hotel for god knows what or immigrants which will be all men no body is a refuge or comes from a war torn country. if it is all men there is only a few immigrants that our families but that will not bother the councilers they don’t have to listen to its people to whom they are supposed to serve after all nobody has been consulted about any plans or any future developments because they don’t want to listen and Ged cooney and all is councilers will not be seen to answer or reply to anybody who does not agree with them they are a disgrace.
I agree but you cannot stop the people of Droylsden voting labour, get them out they know they have got safe seats in every election , people are not thinking they just do what they have done for years, there is only one way to get them out, WALK AWAY
You don’t know what you are talking about, the council doesn’t even have any social housing. Ok then just make things up, but non of it is correct
£500,000+ to do repairs in 2017 council said it would cost, Carillion went into administration money set aside for Concorde repairs disappeared, not long after TMBC funded £9.5m to rebuild new council offices which originally were coming back to Droylsden to regenerate area revenue and jobs didn’t happen
Can Cllr Ged Cooney not answer the people truthfully when he’s asked questions as it appears Labour are very good at painting a good sketch then changing the plans , the Community are being left with nothing for families when are you going to support us ??
Ged Cooney is a massive nut sack.
You love a nut sack shhh!!
And one lacking a pair of balls it seems
It would be lovely to be able to keep the ballroom, plenty of the people of Droylsden would use it and be a meeting place for all
They didn’t when it was open why do you think they will now. Did you dream it?
I did!!!
Load of crap, councillors don’t give two tosses about anyone but themselves – we need a shopping centre, not an Hotel that will be filled with druggies and immigrants!
However, please can I have that SEGA Racing system ? 🙂
Industry’s closed down …
Wilkos is going come October
Boots is going come October
Greggs is going coming October
There’s only the chippy and Rawshack left outside of the lacklustre night-life.
And if they’re only able to kit out part of the concord, what’s that going to look like walking through the remainder? Silly country would definitely come back to stick.
Knock the thing down. Build houses on it. The precinct is dead and has been for years.
Clown
Build houses on the town centre??? yes that makes sense more people with nowhere to go whilst lining the pockets of the council and private investors who would no longer have any responsibility to put money into the town centre. Well thought out!!!
Behave you silly count
Absolute melt
100% don’t need a hotel we need somthing to bring people back like bowling cinema shopping centre not a hotel in a place that’s quite and nothing here I don’t think the have fort this though at all and if they sorted this place out a while ago maybe droylsden shops wouldn’t be closing like they are
Droylsdens just f@cked full of takeaways and rats
Fort?? Your comment is null and void for that alone.
Why not a mix of affordable rental apartments, hotel and offices, which in turn will encourage more businesses to the retail units? Bridgewater Place in Leeds (purpose built) does exactly that and is close to the railway station. We have the trams and buses close by. Re-open Villemomble square for taxi access to the building. Improve the square at the back and have the bars, cafes and restaurants located around them with the retail outlets in the main building.
Droylsden doesn’t need a hotel. We need shops to bring people in. The councillors said the tram would bring so much to Droylsden. What’s it brought nothing. People pass by on it except locals. We are full of takeaways, we have no banks no butchers greengrocers. The heart has been taken out of Droylsden. So sad to see it in this state.
There was a guy with a greengrocer stall not enough people used him so he left… what’s your plan to make people use them
I’m not sure what New-era’s motives are with owning the precinct but it certainly isn’t regenerating the place. There has been real interest from businesses trying to move into some of the premises for over 12 months and they have given up as New-era simply don’t get back to them. Why would a company want empty shops, it doesn’t make sense?
This is true, we were interested a few years back and no response from New Era who had some nice plans to develop ready made entertainment units , but only the Industry one was developed ( do they lack funds or commitments or are they really looking to do something else and playing a long game?)
Which company’s ( more than one please) if you can’t name them it isn’t true
The Council / New Era are obviously running the place down to a point where all that can happen is more home building.
TMBC have systematically created brownfield sites where large employers once provided jobs to grab grants to build housing.
In my lifetime International Companies, Blue Chip brands have all now disappeared from the town under Tamesides watch… they should be ashamed!
Oh maybe not as they want Ashton to be the epicentre of this crumbling borough.
Well said bryan
The concord is an eyesore. We need shops in droylsden. Knock it down, replace it with a market, get the empty shops filled with businesses for the community. Create jobs for local people. We as a community need to meet the owners! The council are out of touch with what we need.. Anybody interested in meeting up with the owners ????? I KNOW I AM !!!!
Who is interested ????
Market? What happened to the old market fizzled out through lack of use. Why would it be different now? Just because you say so?
I can imagine it would be really attractive for someone who has just been to see a concert a. Let’s go to city centre Manchester where there are hundreds of hotels bars and restaurants that we can walk back to after a concert or b. that place down the road with one curry house one Caribbean restaurant and one Italian and 5 pubs ……..no shops to speak of. It’s a tough choice LABOUR don’t treat us like idiots – Droylsden does need something a hotel isn’t it because when no one starts to book to stay what’s going to happen?
What’s your plan?? Come on you have a lot to say what is you idea?
Like previous comments mention, some of the information is outdated in this article. The Industry bar has closed. Other shops are closing soon such as Boots and possibly Wilko. Councillor Ged Cooney can talk about “massive potential” but many businesses are leaving and the town centre has become a joke. I recently heard someone who’d got off the tram say “let’s get out of this sh**hole” after looking around.
20 years ago the council promised to revive the town centre with a Marina surrounded by canalside shops and bars but just look what we got. Yes, we got the Marina but it’s been surrounded by derelict land ever since. We were also told the demolition of the library would make way for a possible hotel. But again, the land is now a derelict site.
We have a collection of ‘areas’ in the town centre. The Precinct, The Marina, Tesco and the shops at the back of the precinct. None of it is joined up and the planning just seems completely haphazard.
Personally, I don’t believe a word Ged Cooney or our other councillors say. I suspect like, many others, that the Concorde Suite plans are nothing more than a way for the owners to make money housing the increasing number of illegal immigrants coming from Northern France.
This is potentially the best comment here especially about the library and the marina, but you went and spoiled it by saying “ I recently heard someone who’d got off the tram say “let’s get out of this sh**hole” after looking around.” because that didn’t actually happen did it?
I heard it!!
have ground floor shopping on a precinct and use the upstairs for hotel and event suite. Create public square with public toilet, seats and planters for all visitors -. meets all needs.
Nice big indoor market on first floor,,shoe clothes and different clothing shops ,butchers bakery,hardware greengrocers,lock smith,cobbler lower rent for small businesses,no big named shops we need people of droylsden to make a wage there,and not big already rich company’s and in turn be able to give school leavers sat jobs while studying,there is already hotels on tram :bus routes in both directions
Now we are talking , good idea, some positivity amid all the negative glass half empty Facebook warriors
Thought this place was full of asbestos and was the main reason it has not been touched ?
That’s why I’m the pictures one of the rooms has all the ceiling removed
It will never be any different, as long as labour keep ‘s getting voted in!!!!!
It’s not fully owned by the council so what are you even waffling on about
I really don’t think a hotel will help the area. It will only be used for asylum seekers. Then the whole area will go even more rundown !!!
I’m sure there are lots more realistic plans being proposed that will actually benefit the area. I think the people of Droylesden need listening too.
Why do we need a hotel when all the shops are closing down. Thanks to the thieving gets.Droylsden is just full off hairdressers and take aways.O I get it thay just want a hotel to full with migrants/illegal-immigrants.
Why do we need a hotel when all the shops are closing down. Thanks to the thieving gets.Droylsden is just full off hairdressers and take aways.O I get it thay just want a hotel to fill with migrants/illegal-immigrants.
So stupid you said it twice!!
With limited space in the town centre would they not consider building the aparthotel they so desire on the old library site. Knock down the few units where barnardo is to create a town square for events markets etc turn the old ball room into a multi purpose community centre and turn the concord suite into a hub of independent shop inside and around it with a floor of entertainment small cinema bowling adventure golf etc. Just ideas which may or may not work or suit everyone the point is I think they need to think outside the box and reimagine the space so it’s a draw for all ages of the town
Yes it’s a shame the council and new era don’t seem to be listening to what people who live here actually want. I’m struggling to see how turning the concord suite into an aparthotel benefits anyone who lives here aside from creating a handful of jobs. Droylsden has incredible potential as a town based on where it is but we are let down by a council that is obsessed with trying to polish a turd in ashton and much of the town centre being privately owned. The whole thing needs a rethink with the input of people who actually live here. If Greg’s amd boots can’t survive in a town centre you must realise they’re are deeper issues
You can have your say on the development of droylsden town centre here…. http://www.droylsdentowncentre.co.uk
This wouldn’t be happening if Kieran Quinn was still alive. He did an awful lot for Droylsden he was passionate about it he must be turning in his grave at what’s been let to happen to the place. We need some younger more proactive councillors in Droylsden too people who care about the town not just councillors who are only seen when they are due for re election some get paid for doing absolutely nothing and have no interest in Droylsden or it’s residents what’s so ever they are like the concorde suit past their sell by dates and need replacing to something that benefits Droylsden and its residents..
Shoppers go to Ashton-Under-Lyne for the indoor market, and to eat in big chain restaurants or coffee shops. Additionally, it’s no secret that there’s no shortage of punters when it comes to the beauty industry. The internet can’t offer the smelling and tasting of different foods, nor can you try clothes on, online. Entertainment also gets people out on the streets. It’s not rocket science! Sure rents and electricity prices are high, so you don’t open up a sun-bed shop; you evolve. Fixing Droylsden’s shopping precinct should be a relatively simple process, but unfortunately the wrong people have access to the full deck of cards. Coming up with new ideas should be as easy as a walk in the park. Unfortunately for youz, nothing is free in world, including ideas. You shouldn’t be in the job if you’re incompetent.