TAMESIDE Council has bought an Ashton-under-Lyne shopping centre, paving the way for the next part of the town’s regeneration.
The authority has purchased Ladysmith, which stands directly next to its marketplace which is being remodelled, from owners NewRiver REIT.
Under a masterplan issued in 2025, both the Arcades and Ladysmith will be reconfigured to ‘better suit the needs of locals.’
The majority of the retail offer would be transferred to the Arcades, with Ladysmith being bulldozed to make way for 306 new homes.
Now Tameside Council says this purchase forms the latest milestone in a £1 billion borough-wide regeneration that will reposition Ashton as one of the UK’s best connected and most investable locations.
It has secured more than £250 million of public investment to unlock a development pipeline that will look to deliver more than 5,000 new homes and town centres designed for modern living.
Nicola Elsworth, director of strategic growth at Tameside Council, said: “Bringing Ladysmith into public ownership is a pivotal moment for Ashton.
“It gives us the ability to shape one of the town centre’s most important sites, delivering the homes, investment and hospitality this community deserves.
“Combined with the market transformation, the Town Hall restoration plans and the wider public realm improvements already underway, we are building a town centre that locals can genuinely be proud of.”
Deborah McLaughlin, chair of Ashton Mayoral Development Zone, added: “The acquisition of the Ladysmith is exactly the kind of strategic move the Ashton Mayoral Development Zone was created to support.
“Bringing this site into public ownership connects directly to our borough-wide growth ambitions and demonstrates how the public sector can act decisively to create the conditions for private investment.
“Ashton is increasingly on the radar of investors and developers, and this sends a clear signal that our vision is being realised.”
Ashton’s new market is scheduled to open on July 11 and there are plans to reconfigure the neighbouring indoor facility.
And Tameside Council’s leader, Cllr Eleanor Wills, believes: “This acquisition is a statement of intent for Ashton and for Tameside as a whole.
“The residents of Ashton deserve to see meaningful change in their town centre, and this is us taking direct action to make it happen.
“Combined with the new market, the public realm improvements and the Town Hall restoration, we are building a town centre that the community can be proud to live and work in.”