Oldham Council privately set out preliminary details of Prince’s Gate in 2014 which included plans for an 18,300 sqft Aldi supermarket development, with circa 50 residential units above on the site of the current RSPCA centre at Rhodes Bank. As part of the enabling scheme Oldham Council now states “in order to have certainty regarding the Princes Gate scheme, it is proposed that the Council seek to acquire the Roscoe Mill property.” The Roscoe Mill is owned by Hirst, Kidd and Rennie Limited which in turn owns the Oldham Chronicle local newspaper, the Council states that “Negotiations with the owners of Roscoe Mill – Hirst, Kidd and Rennie Limited – have been a little more protracted. However, terms have now been agreed with it being envisaged that possession of Roscoe Mill would be available at a similar time to the adjoining RSPCA property (i.e. 31 August 2015) in order to allow the Council to undertake demolition of both properties at a similar time.” The Council is also considering demolishing and clearing the former Oldham “Hide, Skin and Fat” property free of charge which is owned by Hirst, Kidd and Rennie Limited, stating “This approach will facilitate the early vacation of the Roscoe Mill site required by the Council.”
