And it is going to cost £330m to put it right
Details of a proposed major project to safeguard and improve Manchester Town Hall and Albert Square have been published today.
The Town Hall, which opened in 1877, is an internationally significant landmark. The building is Grade I-listed and considered to be one of the masterpieces of Victorian architecture.
However, it will be 140 years old next year. While it has been maintained and remains structurally sound, it is now seriously showing its age with many elements reaching the end of their natural lifespans. As it was designed in the 1860s, it no longer fully meets modern access and safety standards.
A progress report will be considered by the Council’s Executive on Wednesday 27 July and before that by its Resources and Governance Scrutiny Committee on Thursday 21 July.
A survey report has found that electrics, plumbing, heating, ventilation and lift installations are in poor condition, reflecting their age. As they are embedded in the fabric of the building, replacing them will involve significant building works.
The surveys also found that the condition of the building’s stonework, windows and roof is also deteriorating and will require intervention. The Town Hall also suffers from poor insulation and energy efficiency.
More than 54,000 parts of the building fabric need attention, of which 40 per cent require immediate repair or replacement – a figure which will rise to 85 per cent within five years if action is not taken.
The building is also currently underused, with wasted space in areas such as the basement and a comparatively low ratio of staff to office space. From August there will be only 250 staff in the Town Hall, as some staff have had to be moved on a precautionary basis out of areas where surveys had identified that remedial works are required.
Surveys also found that Albert Square has structural issues including poor drainage, uneven surfacing and a lack of the ICT facilities and utilities needed to support popular events.
It is currently estimated that a project to address this – securing the future of the Town Hall for many decades to come while opening this treasure up to the public and bringing in more revenue through complementary commercial uses – would cost around £330m. The estimated cost includes improving Albert Square to ensure it can remain a focal point for popular events such as the Christmas Markets, Manchester International Festival, City Games and events celebrating Manchester sporting successes.
A Heritage Management Plan has been developed to ensure that the building’s heritage features are protected and that any changes to the listed building respect its character.
But no final decision on the programme or its budget will be taken until autumn. Further detailed work is needed to finalise the scale and timing of works, carefully evaluate options and determine the full potential for commercial elements and third party funding support. This could help reduce the final cost.
The transformation of Manchester’s Central Library and Town Hall Extension have already shown how 21st Century services can be delivered from historic buildings, making better use of space while protecting their distinctive characters. It was always envisaged that the Town Hall would be next to ensure that Manchester’s Town Hall Complex is among the finest in the land.
Deputy Council Leader Bernard Priest said: “The Town Hall is an icon of Manchester, conceived by our Victorian forbears as a proud symbol of the city’s confidence and cherished by Mancunians ever since. We’re calling this project Our Town Hall because it belongs to us all.
“But it’s almost 140 years old and it is seriously showing its age. If we don’t act we will have to stop using, and start mothballing, significant parts of this much-loved building sooner rather than later. Ultimately it would have to close altogether. Such a situation would be unthinkable.
“Instead we need to seize the opportunity to safeguard it for current and future generations, make the building and its treasures more accessible to Mancunians and visitors alike and bring it up to modern access and safety standards. These benefits will be felt for many decades to come. We also need to make better use of its spaces and enhance Albert Square.
“This is a complex project and it’s essential that we get it right, which is why we will need to do more detailed work around the scale, timing and nature of the programme. This includes looking further at commercial options and the potential for third part support which we anticipate could reduce costs.”
Among future plans are the opening up the building to Mancunians is a key ambition of the project. As well as making it more welcoming and accessible, for example through extra lifts, it is intended to showcase the building’s fascinating history. The Town Hall’s collection of 2,400 artefacts – from gifts given to the city by civic visitors to archives and the furniture, silver and ceramics designed by architect Alfred Waterhouse to complement the building – helps tell the story of the city and its people and it is planned the collection will go on public display as part of improvements.
The proposed programme, cost and timings will not be known until further examination of options has been completed.
Once this extra work is completed, a further report will be presented to the Council’s Executive in autumn setting out the proposed programme and costs. This will be considered alongside the Council’s full capital strategy and three-year revenue budget for 2017-2020.
It is intended that contractors to deliver the scheme will be appointed in the first half of 2017 with investigative works starting in 2018 and repair works starting in 2019 and concluding in 2023.
