Tameside Council has acquired the 151,502 sq ft Ladysmith Shopping Centre in Ashton marking a major step forward in the regeneration of the town centre.
The Council will operate and manage the Ladysmith Shopping Centre as normal, while a long-term masterplan is developed via engagement with the centre’s current retail and leisure occupiers.
The acquisition will help stabilise the town centre as the owners were in receivership.
This will form part of a wider transformation programme for Ashton, including a new covered outdoor market, new public realm for events and the restoration of Ashton Town Hall.
The acquisition marks the latest milestone in Tameside’s ambitious £1bn borough-wide regeneration programme, repositioning the area as one of the UK’s best connected and most investable locations.
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, said:
“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.”
