Chadderton residents will have a park and playground to enjoy by summer next year as work begins on creating the green space this week.
The Broadway Green development, which welcomed an Aldi supermarket on the newly-created Lydia Becker Way earlier this year, plans on delivering 500 new homes, 600,000 square feet of employment space and 2,000 jobs and training opportunities.
The development has brought more than 230 new homes to the area and while Countryside Properties are currently on site delivering the next phase of 160 homes, including affordable properties, work has taken a significant step forward this week in creating a new park for its residents.
Get the latest news delivered straight to your inbox by signing up to The Oldham Times’ morning and evening newsletters as well as our breaking news alerts
Bellaire Contractors Ltd have rolled out the first phase of the park project, which includes creating footpaths, planting new trees and shrubs and creating wildflower meadows, all to make the site greener and a pleasant place to spend time.
A new play area will also be installed for families to enjoy while community boards will share facts about the planting and the historical use of the site.
It is hoped the new park will be completed by spring 2025.
Speaking on the milestone, Councillor Arooj Shah, leader of Oldham Council, said: “It’s great to see work starting on the next phase of the Broadway Green development.
"This initiative is about more than just creating a beautiful open space – it's about building a better future for residents and a town where more people want to live, work, and raise their families.
"I'd like to thank the teams who have worked so hard on this so far, and I'm excited about the positive impact that the space will have.
"Oldham needs more quality homes of all sizes and affordability, and Broadway Green will play a crucial role in achieving this.
"We're working hard to create local solutions to the national housing crisis.
"Just last week, we announced that Oldham Council are pledging to build new 500 social homes in the borough over the next five years - and over the next 15 years, we're planning to build around 3,000 new homes, many of them affordable, to address the housing gap that currently affects too many people here in Oldham and nationwide."
Councillor Chris Goodwin, Cabinet member for neighbourhoods, also visited the site to mark the occasion and to meet the hard-working people who are making the space a reality.
Cllr Goodwin said: "The visit to the site was eye-opening and it was thrilling to find out more about the work taking place.
"The project is not only about creating a green space but also providing for the well-being of our residents.
"The plans look amazing and our teams have worked hard to design a space that can cater to all walks of life.
"It will be exciting to see the site take shape as the works progress over the coming months."
Broadway Green is near the M62 and M60 motorways and within two miles from Oldham town centre.
The project is being developed in partnership with Oldham Council Seddon and Grasscroft Property.
If you have a story, I cover all things Oldham from food reviews and local business news to music and events, pubs, education, crime, property, health, community concerns and much more. Please email me at Olivia.bridge@newsquest.co.uk or send me a message on Twitter @Livbridge with your news.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here