Turmoil in ‘booming’ UK market town turned into ‘ghost town’ despite £2m revamp

A once-booming market town near has been turned into a “ghost town” despite £2millon being spent to revamp it’s market square. Locals have lost faith in Tameside Council saying Hyde Market has become a “s***…empty and sad” place to go shopping and are worried by proposals to revamp it.

The Tameside town was once a bustling place to be. A photo of the once-beloved high street in 1998 shows the area alive with shoppers, traffic and stalls. But popular traders and major banks have departed in recent year, and the old library building has closed its door while two colleges left town, turning Hyde into an eyesore.

Tameside Council now wants to revamp the area for the second time in 13 years, according to the . Many of the fixed stall have been knocked down and replaced with parasols – a move residents say was unpopular. Tammy Gibson, 43, said with many market traders gone, Hyde Market now feels empty and deserted.

She said: “Market traders have gone. There’s only a few left. It’s just empty… It used to be a nice community when they had the market, but now it’s just empty and sad. I would say mostly, it’s deserted and dead. It’s like a ghost town. I’ve lost count of the number of shops that have disappeared.”

Some £1.2m has already been spent stripping the market of fixed stalls. Now Tameside Council wants to plough another £737,000 to make it a more “flexible” town square. It’s a small part of the council’s wider vision for Hyde – but residents remain sceptical.

Colin Dodd, 89, feels the town has changed for the worse over the years. “Ten years ago it was really bustling this market,” he said. “A lot of them [businesses] have gone. A lot of characters have gone as well. I would like to see it come back to what it was, but it won’t.”

A 64-year-old woman, who didn’t want to be named, said the proposed changes were “absolutely rubbish”. She said: “They’ve taken the heart out of the place. They’re taking people’s livelihoods away from them. A lot of those traders have been coming for years and years.

“People come to the market, meet their friends, have a natter and a brew. What’s there for them now? Just empty places for alcoholics and drug addicts. It’s not on. It’s getting worse. It really is getting worse. The shops are shutting, there’s nothing for people. We don’t all do online shopping and banking, especially us older generations. I think they’ve made a pig’s ear of it.”

Anthony McIvenny said the town was a “dump”. He said: “They’ve spent all the money on them and then they’re taking them down. They’ve spent millions. Look at it. No one wants to visit the town.” He said youngsters have nothing to do in the town centre and spend their time smoking weed.

He said: “If you go up Market Street, it’s all take-aways. No decent clothes shops, no games shops. There’s just nothing. It’s just going down, and down, and down, and down… it’s an old town, it should have a decent market.” It’s a sentiment shared by Ian Stratham, 62. He said in the 1970s and 1980s, shoppers could find Adidas trainers, Lee jeans or Levis to buy but now the shopping centre doesn’t sell those items any longer.

Suzanne Harrison, 45, said her daughter will have to travel to a neighbour town to attend college now Tameside and Claredon college campuses are no longer open. She said: “It didn’t need to be that way. I don’t feel like there are many choices [for young people]. There has been so much austerity in the last 20 years, I think things are a lot harder now for kids.

“It just seems like these decisions are constantly affecting the people that live in the area. [My daughter] is thinking about following me what I do – but as usual it’s in Ashton. It’s just annoying.” She believes the recent changes to Hyde’s market is just another bad decision for residents in the town.

She said: “Everyone is absolutely sick to death of Tameside [Council] and what they have done. Each time they have done [the market] – the first time really killed it. It was a busy market, about 20 years ago, it was busy. They make these changes. Each time they do something it kills it even more.”

Tameside Council said the recent changes will be “just the start” of Hyde’s transformation. The local authority said their latest plans were shaped by 1,600 people who live, work and visit the town. They said: “The Market Ground is one of those key civic spaces identified for improvement through the creation of a more flexible space for markets and events, enhanced with new planting to encourage more people to visit the town. A more detailed public realm strategy is currently underway and being led by specialist landscape planning consultants Planit IE.

“In the Clarendon Shopping Centre, new businesses have opened in recent weeks including a new high quality snooker hall and further food and drink businesses due to open in the coming weeks. These will provide an active frontage to the shopping centre and Market Ground throughout the day and into the evening.

“These works have been funded by the UK Shared Prosperity Funding. In addition, further improvements will also take place across the town centre, including projects being progressed by the Hyde Accelerator Partnership Group. The works will include tree maintenance, replanting of granite planters and improvements to Millenium Park.

“This is just the start of Hyde’s transformation, and we are excited about the journey ahead as we continue to secure funding and partnerships to realise our vision for a thriving town centre. For children aged from eight years old, Hyde Youth Centre on Bennett Street has a variety of free sessions and is just a short walk from Hyde Town Centre.

“Hyde Library is also open six days a week with access to computers and services for adults and children. The area is the location of lots of family-friendly events throughout the year including during Halloween, the Tameside Lantern Parade, Christmas markets and more recent half term events. Further information about cultural events can be found on the In Tameside website.”

“Hyde’s Family Hub based at Flowery Field offers free activities and support for families five days a week, bringing services together for families with children of all ages, from 0 to 19 or up to 25 with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), with a great Start for Life offer at their core.