Popular play area moves to new town centre location as regeneration paves the way for new and improved facility
A popular play area outside Primark in Oldham town centre is temporarily relocating to a new spot near Holland & Barrett while a new and improved playground is constructed. The temporary facility will open by Christmas 2024, and the permanent replacement is set to open in summer 2025. The move is part of Oldham's broader regeneration efforts, including the Accessible Oldham project, which aims to enhance public spaces with green features and better accessibility.
Oldham’s beloved town centre play area outside Primark is packing up for Christmas and moving just up the High Street while builders prepare a brand-new permanent playground for summer 2025.
The temporary pop-up site, which opens next month outside Holland & Barrett, will give families swings and a fresh slide after engineers ruled the current apparatus unsafe. “We want to make sure Oldham is a welcoming place for all ages and we recognise how popular this play area is and how well it is used by families,” Council Leader Arooj Shah said. “While we replace this existing play area, we have decided to create a temporary one nearby, to ensure there is always a play facility until the new playground is completed.”
The switch clears the way for the next stage of the Accessible Oldham project, a wider scheme that has already overhauled streets around the bus station, Hilton Square and Rock Street and will soon add cycle-friendly routes, trees and eco-features where children now climb and slide. Once the revamped Primark-side playground debuts next summer, the pop-up equipment will be shipped to another neighbourhood, ensuring every corner of the borough keeps a free place for youngsters to burn energy.
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