Oldham Town Centre

Oldham Town Centre is undergoing a £550 million, long‑term regeneration programme that will deliver up to 2,000 new homes and transform council‑owned brownfield land into sustainable, mixed‑use neighbourhoods.

Oldham Council appointed CBRE to provide independent, end‑to‑end regeneration advice, helping turn long‑term ambition into a deliverable and investable programme. Support has spanned strategy, partnership structuring, planning and viability, funding, and investment, enabling delivery over a 15‑year horizon while protecting public value.

A key early priority was securing a private‑sector partner capable of delivering at scale without compromising long‑term public interest. Advice supported the successful procurement and structuring of a public‑private partnership with Muse, completed in just ten months. The resulting Master Development Agreement provides a flexible, long‑term framework across 24 acres of the town centre, balancing delivery pace with strong public‑sector protections.

Rather than relying on a fixed masterplan, a flexible town centre regeneration framework was established to support delivery across multiple market cycles. This approach set a clear spatial vision while enabling phasing and investment strategies to respond to funding availability and market conditions, creating a credible long‑term proposition for funders, investors, and stakeholders.

Risk has been reduced through a hybrid planning and viability strategy. Planning consent has now been secured for 1,619 new homes across priority sites, supporting early momentum and market confidence. Detailed viability advice aligned planning policy with grant funding mechanisms, unlocking greater affordable housing delivery, including social rent.

Targeted funding and investment advice has enabled the securing and deployment of public grant funding for brownfield enabling works and market rent homes, alongside long‑term institutional capital. This includes an offer of £31.5 million of Good Growth patient equity from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority; one of the fund’s largest allocations; demonstrating how institutional investment can support town centre regeneration beyond core cities.

Oldham Town Centre shows how integrated, long‑term regeneration advice can translate vision into delivery, providing a replicable model for place‑led growth in challenging market conditions.