Over the next few weeks, residents will see construction vehicles, equipment and workers on site as enabling works get underway on the next phase of the process using funds from the £20m Levelling up Funding (LUF) for Ashton Town Centre.
Ashton Town Hall is an important part of the plans and with an allocated £3.4m of the LUF fund the Council awarded in October 2021 earmarked to support its restoration and repurposing. The remaining funds will be used for remediation work for the redevelopment of the former Interchange Site and improvement to the public realm including walking and cycling routes.
The Town Hall has been closed since 2015 and much of the preparation work carried out to date has not been visible to the public. However, the Council’s delivery partner Robertson’s have now appointed a number of sub-contractors who will be on site from Monday 26 September marking the start of restoration works.
The works they will be carrying out include taking down a number of internal ceilings and removing “stud” walls to fully expose the structural fabric of the building and hidden architectural features. This partial internal strip-out will facilitate the completion of detailed surveys required to fully inform the ongoing design process for the restoration of the building envelope, including the roof and internal layout.
Councillor Gerald Cooney, Executive Leader Tameside Council states;
“After being inside of the building and seeing its current state, it is obvious that it will take significant investment and resources to return it to its former glory. There is a lot of preparation work involved so that the state of the building can be fully appreciated before work starts on repairs. We are really keen to restore the building and bring back pride in the Town Hall and the surrounding area and the Levelling Up fund is helping us make a start on that.”
It is anticipated that this element of the scheme, which has Listed Building consent, will be concluded towards the end of November.
Robertson’s added: “It’s great we can now get sub-contractors inside the town hall. We are excited to make a start and to work alongside Tameside Council to restore the town hall and secure the future of the building.”
