Ashton town hall to be brought into this century

The rejuvenation of Ashton Town Hall from rack and ruin will be complete by 2030, say council bosses.

Earlier this year Tameside council leader Eleanor Wills made a bold promise to transform the Grade-II listed building by the end of the decade. Now her executive cabinet has doubled down on that promise with a new feasibility study to inform the next stage of works.

This comes following essential repairs to the façade and parapet and improvements to the main steps, the latest meeting of town hall chiefs was told.

The Grade-II listed building, opened in 1840, has been vacant since 2015 but has since fallen into disrepair. The town hall was physically linked to the Tameside Administrative Centre (TAC) from 1980 until 2015 and played an important role in accommodating civic functions and was home to the council chamber. 

A revitalised council chamber and function room; community spaces; commercial space for a wine bar, coffee shop, and restaurant; office plots; and a possible extension are all on the cards for the restoration.

Leader of Tameside council, Coun Eleanor Wills, told the executive cabinet on October 29: “It’s important as I have been discussing my ambition to bring this back into use. I am impatient at the best of times, but I think we are making great progress with Ashton and integrating what will be the new Ashton Town Hall.

“There is a massive appetite to see Ashton Town Hall’s doors reopen. I can’t wait to see the design work and be able to communicate that. The town hall needs to be brought into this century for today’s purposes but it needs to be indicative of Tameside’s heritage.”

It is hoped the feasibility study will be finished by December and designs finalised by the end of 2026, the meeting heard.

This forms part of a wider regeneration strategy for Ashton town centre, backed by £3.4m in government funding allocated specifically for the town.

The transformation of Market Square is already underway and further regeneration of the shopping centres into housing and leisure space is soon to follow.

The vision for the restored town hall ‘blends heritage with modern functionality, creating a vibrant hub for civic, cultural, and commercial activity’, says Tameside council.

A budget of £91,000 has been approved by town hall bosses to support this next stage of design. 

The restoration will happen in phases, with construction expected to start in 2028 and finish by 2030, subject to confirmation of funding.