PEOPLE have found out more about plans to rejuvenate Stalybridge town centre’s public realm and road network.
That will see streets narrowed, converted into one way and junctions closed off.
The Correspondent has told before of the plans that stand alongside the Stalybridge West development, which will see many new homes placed in the area.
And at drop-in sessions where Tameside Council staff were on hand to discuss many of the proposals, more detail has been revealed.
It will see Corporation Street narrowed with parking bays placed on it, the junction of Melbourne Street and Castle Street blocked off completely to prevent a ‘rat run’ and buses no longer able to access the bus station from Market Street, which will see a continuation of its one way system.
Armentieres Square will also see railings removed from the side of the Huddersfield Narrow Canal but retained where the lock is situated.
A ‘volunteer garden’ – next to Stalybridge Town Team’s hub at the bottom of Tesco car park – will also be improved.
An area of the square currently plagued by cars illegally parking there will be closed off am converted into a fenced-off bin store.
And businesses on it will see pavements outside them widened, with more pavement licences being given out.
Another crucial part of the proposals is stricter enforcement after teething issues with the work already done on Market Street.
However, council chiefs insist there will be no overall loss of parking spaces.
In other areas, paving stones will be cleaned up and there is a promise to remove then gravel that has been placed around trees, which has been kicked up on to pavements.
Two of the bigger changes to the landscape in the near £5 million scheme come in the form of green spaces, with the eventual aim of creating a ‘Four Park Town Loop’ including Cheetham Park and Gorse Hall.
Spring Gardens would border Spring Street and Rassbottom Street while Old Town Hall/Trinity Gardens will enhance the green space at the Old Town Hall site to form a new eastern arrival into the town centre and create a useable space for events.
The public realm development, which is separate from the Stalybridge West masterplan, focuses on several themes, including a big welcome, an independent identity and reconnecting with the water.
Engagement with the public identified issues like a poor sense of arrival and difficulty navigating the town centre, poorly defined public spaces, a lack of cycle and pedestrian infrastructure, a lack of green space and the history of Stalybridge not being celebrated.
Councillors were told: “Stalybridge is rich with assets that can be utilised and celebrated to improve the urban environment of the town centre.
“If addressed, these opportunities can be adopted to create a unique and vibrant town centre for residents and visitors.
“These features can unlock opportunities within the public realm to create more space for public realm, allowing local businesses to grow, frame regeneration and improve the health and wellbeing of the people within the town.
“The parks of Gorse Hall and Cheetham Park, as well as Stalybridge Country Park, sit to the south of the town centre.
“Physical connections into them, despite their close proximity, are poor and they are under used assets for the town. There is a missed opportunity for the town when it comes to connecting to the wider green infrastructure network.
“Despite the Canal and River running through the town, access to water is poor. Access and views to the River Tame, in particular, are very poor and only glimpses of the river corridor are provided by the town’s three bridges.
“The canal towpath is better connected, however it is poor quality and uninviting, with fears around safety to the west of Armentieres Square.”
As this proposal it is part of the near £20 million the town was awarded to Stalybridge by the Government’s Levelling Up Fund, work must be completed by March 2026.