Local voices must shape Mayoral Development Corporation

The consultation for Oldham’s Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC) must be locally led and shaped if it is to succeed, says Oldham Liberal Democrats planning spokesperson Garth Harkness. 

The public consultation on the planning project for Oldham town centre is now open for consultation at www.gmconsult.org/development/oldham-mdc/, until 1 July 2026.

Councillor Harkness said: “Currently the plans seem to simply be a way of putting all the collapsed Labour administration’s proposed developments in and around Oldham town centre under a single banner. What we want to see is proper engagement with people about what they want and need.

“You can’t just put existing plans in front of people and try and get them pushed through. Development needs to happen with communities, not to them.”

The Liberal Democrats are already pushing for better infrastructure across the whole of the borough – such as a new health centres and gyms, a wider expansion of the Metrolink system, and new community facilities as standard. 

Garth added: “Good development works with communities, it is not done too communities. If people can see it bringing benefits such as new community facilities which they can use, then they are happy to see positive development. 

“All too often, previous consultations have been a fig leaf for pushing through existing plans, and this cannot be the case here.”