Will a new market turn Ashton-under-Lyne centre around?

"You don't need to come to Ashton any more - and it's such a shame - when other towns, a lot smaller, they've got a bustling town centre."

That was how 58-year-old Paul Bruffell described Ashton-under-Lyne, the market town of 48,000 people on the outskirts of Greater Manchester.

His view was repeated among some of those shopping or working in the town centre, who spoke to the BBC ahead of the local elections on 7 May.

Some saw empty units and losing business - the loss of Marks & Spencer was mentioned several times - as a symptom of a failure to attract enough footfall.

There is data to support the conclusion that many shops had shut in recent times.

According to a local data profile published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in July 2025, the rate of unoccupied retail or leisure units in Ashton-under-Lyne stood at 15% - higher than a national average of 10%.

The unemployment rate in the town stood at 6.8%, ahead of the north-west of England average of 5.5% and the national average of 5.4%.

There has been significant investment in the town centre, with a £20m grant from the government's levelling up fund currently being used to revamp the outdoor market.

Tameside Council told the BBC the investment would "proactively strengthen our town centre offer".

But Bruffell, who used to work in local government as a transport planner, said he believed a failure to mitigate the impact of out-of-town developments had caused significant damage.

"I had to travel and look at why towns fail and a lot of it is about planning policy," he said.

"So Ashton is not as good as it was in the 1980s, you used to come down and the whole community was here, rich and poor.

"Now it's people with money and cars go to the supermarkets.

"I'm only here to go to the bank and that's closing down in a couple of weeks.

"There's very little reason for me to come here... you've got to look at those towns that are successful and it's not allowing outside out-of-town developments.

"You focus investment and priorities in the town centre in terms of getting people to come here."

The multimillion-pound redevelopment of the market has done little to alter Bruffell's opinion.

"Who's going to come to appreciate that?" he said.

"That's not going to draw people, it's almost cosmetically trying to raise the image of the town when fundamentally it is dead because all the shops are closed and Marks & Spencer has pulled out a year or two back.

"Politicians don't seem to address those issues and again that's understanding long-term policy."

In New Market Deli, on Market Street, owner Caroline Ashton said her cafe's 21-year track record and loyal customer base meant business had remained good.

But she was also sceptical of the new market development, which includes a £250,000 revamp of the indoor market.

"Ashton-under-Lyne is not an artisan town," she said.

"They don't want arty-farty things. They want Joe Bloggs. They want normal, everyday things.

"That outdoor market, before they desecrated, it was the best thing about this town.

"All it needed was a paint job, everybody loved it, and they've wasted £20m or £30m tearing it down and now putting this monstrosity up."

Tameside Council said the market revamp was in response to "changing habits" and would create an "improved public space".

Some others were less pessimistic about the new market, but concerns were raised about a recent decision to charge for car parking.

In 2023, Tameside Council approved changes at 42 pay-and-display car parks, increasing fees from £1 to £3.50 for three hours.

Those changes had a significant impact on footfall, with visits to one car park in Ashton-under-Lyne falling by 20%, which led to corresponding drops in business for local traders.

In June 2025, the council tried to mitigate the impact by introducing two hours free, but for some, the damage was already done.

Reena Fazil, owner of a school uniform shop on Market Street, said she felt the parking issue had increased problems with getting shoppers into the town centre.

"Ashton was always free car parking, then they started charging and we lost a lot of the people," she said.

"Now they've put the two hours free back but it was a bit too late."

"We had stores like Marks & Spencer that was right in the centre of the town centre," he said.

"We should have done more to save that. That would have kept the businesses here.

"We just need more businesses coming back.

"We've got the Ashton outdoor market coming soon, let's see what that brings."

Lisa Croston, 64, a florist with a stall in Ashton Market Hall, described the parking charges as "extortion".

"I think if people want to come and have a lunch and a walk around, it needs to be a lot cheaper than £9 a day," she said.

Tameside Council said the "recent successful Spring Family events demonstrated the flexibility and potential of the investment into Ashton Market Square, supported by two hours' free parking".

"A strong programme of events, alongside a range of new and existing food and drink high-quality traders, future Town Hall development and wider Ashton Mayoral Development Zone and proposed regeneration projects, will continue to drive footfall and vitality, delivering positive outcomes for businesses, residents and visitors alike," a spokesperson added.

Listen to the best of BBC Radio Manchester on Sounds and follow BBC Manchester on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.