A man sits down with a chippy tea at Droylsden Shopping Centre. Two friends chat over a pint. A mother pushes a pram past a row of empty shops, the sound of her voice bouncing off the closed metal shutters.
This precinct used to be thriving. The square was buzzing with shops and a popular market. But following transport works, a global pandemic and now a cost of living crisis, some say the area has become a “ghost town”. “It’s just cr*p,” Droylsden resident Bill Stewart, 67, says. “It went downhill once the market went.
They’ve built some shops, but it’s not the same. READ MORE: Closures and cancellations in Greater Manchester following the death of the Queen “They used to charge for parking and then people stopped coming when the tram was built at the crossroads because it was a mess for ages.
People stopped coming because of the hassle of just getting here. They don’t charge you for parking anymore but it’s too late.
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