Oldham's long-awaited new outdoor market is expected to open before the end of the year, ending months of delay and marking the latest chapter in the town centre's £430 million regeneration.

The £2 million transformation will see the land between the police station and the shopping centre turned into a permanent home for the town's historic Saturday Market. Once completed, the site will also double as an outdoor venue for cultural events, adding a new public space to the heart of Oldham.

Funding for the project comes from a £1 million government grant, matched by £1 million from Oldham Council. An exact opening date for traders has yet to be confirmed, with the council previously predicting a late 2025 completion before a series of delays pushed the relocation several months behind schedule.

The move is necessary to clear the current outdoor market site for demolition. That land has been earmarked for a new sixth form, backed by a £1 million kickstarter fund from Eton College. The elite private school is partnering with Star Academies Trust to open a selective school aimed at helping "talented but underprivileged" pupils win places at top universities.

When the outdoor market vacates its current home, it will mark the end of a 240-year tradition. Markets have been held on the site since 1788, when a plot owned by Thomas Whittaker near Albion Street became known as "Tommy's Field" — the origin of the Tommyfield name that remains in use today.

Indoor market traders have already made the transition to a new venue. The Market on Parliament Square opened on March 28 with 45 stallholders from the former Tommyfield Indoor Market, and hundreds of shoppers turned out on its first day.

The loss of the outdoor market's traditional location has drawn criticism from some traders and residents attached to the historic site. But supporters of the scheme argue the new position, closer to the shopping centre footfall, could revitalise a market that has struggled to attract customers in recent years.

The outdoor market project is one of several major changes reshaping Oldham town centre. A 15-year partnership with developer Muse will see 2,000 new homes built on disused sites including the former Civic Centre, the demolished Magistrates Court, and the Prince's Gate car park in Oldham Mumps.

With both the indoor and outdoor markets now in new premises, and major regeneration projects taking shape across the town centre, Oldham is undergoing one of its most significant transformations in generations.