HYDE town centre may be set for investment after gripes that other places have secured it.
Hattersley’s award of £20 million of funding through the government’s Pride in Place scheme only led to more grumbles that none has yet been received just down the road.
But the town’s MP, Jonathan Reynolds, revealed to The Correspondent work is going on behind the scenes.
And, all being well, Hyde may get its turn as its masterplan takes shape.
He said: “We’ll always have that problem in Tameside, which is, quite rightly, you see something going on in one town, people want it in theirs.
“I feel the same, representing all the towns on this side of the borough.
“We have a regeneration pot for Stalybridge, through the National Government, we’ve got one for Ashton, Denton has one as well.
“We’ve got to get that one for Hyde – and I’ve got a few little projects we’re developing on that.
“You never want to announce things until they’re ready, but Hyde needs that kind of investment.
“There are a lot of successful businesses in Hyde, it’s a big town centre.
“There’s been some good work from the council on the civic realm, planters and things like that.
“However, it does need that bigger funding for the masterplan, the vision document that we’ve got in place.”
One of Mr Reynolds’ main schemes that will impact Hyde is the A57 Link Roads scheme, which will see Mottram Moor – which has been a traffic blackspot for decades – bypassed.
The old Hyde Library, on Union Street, will be converted into more than 100 apartments, with the Victorian façade being kept.
But even though he believes those projects will have will benefit Hyde, he wants more.
Mr Reynolds added: “The Hyde Library scheme will, more than anything, bring a lot more footfall – and it keeps the frontage of the library, so we keep the heritage and everything.
“Also, the town hall has had a fair bit of money spent on it. I think £1 million to sort it out.
“So there is money going in, but the sort of thing we’re seeing in Stalybridge, obviously, I want in Hyde as well.”