The future of a town described as "dead" by locals could be saved by a coordinated effort by the council and developer Muse to create "fantastic new homes, and opportunities".

Oldham's new foodhall, the Egyptian Room, was unveiled on November 1, after a pricey renovation of the old town hall building and plans to increase housing provision in the surrounding area will be officially nodded through later this month.

The foodhall was the final part of a £37 million renovation of the Grade-II listed building, which began in 2016.

Oldham Council is set to partner with Muse to build 2,000 new homes, offices and buildings in the town - addressing the borough's enduring ghost town feel. Visitors on TripAdvisor have commented on its proliferation of "boarded up buildings" and Mobeen Chajar, who runs Khyber Bakery on Yorkshire Street, told the that 90% of the businesses on the stretch were empty units.

Ruth, who has lived in the Greater Manchester town all her life, also told the MEN that the area "used to be brilliant" but had become "dead" in recent years - suggesting that the key to reinvigorating it was providing new shops rather than housing.

A series of closures, kicked off by the departure of high street favourite Woolworth's in 1984, has forced uninspired locals to go further afield for their dining, shopping and nightlife fixes - problems that were amplified by the pandemic.

But council leader Arooj Shah hopes that the new housing scheme and completion of the town hall renovation will be a fork in the road for its future.

A new home for Oldham's Tommyfield Market will also open near Yorkshire Street in spring 2025, funded, alongside the redesign of Spindles Shopping Centre, by £24.5m of the government's Towns Fund.

And the local authority pledged £10m to save the historic Coliseum theatre from closure this summer, albeit in a reduced size and production capacity.

Ms Shah said: "It will take time for our vision to be realised, but we are already making remarkable progress to build a better Oldham - a thriving borough that is a great place for all."

Phil Mayall, managing director of Muse North West, told the MEN that the 2,000-home plans would complement the other projects and boost the town's community through easy access to the range of new amenities.

He said: "Shops need people. It needs to be on our doorstep. It's about putting the right retail and leisure back in and putting the people alongside that."