‘New’ town hall due to open to public for first time after full cost of major refurb project revealed

Oldham’s ‘brand new’ town hall will open to the public for the first time this weekend after a multi-million pound restoration and refurb project at the Old Library.

The almost £32m project has transformed the former library into a ‘mixed use’ space – which includes a brand new Council Chamber. 

With the current Civic Centre on West Street tipped for demolition, councillors are officially due to move into the Old Library on Union Street in September. 

The 150-year-old site has undergone ‘painstaking’ restoration work by Tilbury Douglas since it shut its doors in 2017 due to the poor state of the building. Building and refurb work has turned the grand Victorian pile into a new town hall and community site, with a new council chamber, offices for councillors and the executive team, and space for the Oldham Theatre Workshop. 

The total cost of the project amounts to almost £32m, according to a council response to a Freedom of Information request seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service. 

Around £260k was spent on furnishing the restored space, of which £179,363.20 was spent on the new council chambers. These include custom-made curved benches for the 60 councillors for £37k and design enhancements which cost £24k. 

The new offices cost £80,348.68. While rumours were circulated online that the council leader’s desk cost £30k, an itemised list shows the most expensive desks were two pedestal desks with drawers, which cost £5,783. 

While some councillors have praised the project for rescuing one of the borough’s heritage buildings from the brink of ruin, others have blasted the council’s ‘expensive tastes’. 

Conservative councillor Lewis Quigg said: “Whilst everyone can appreciate that the restoration of old civic buildings is going to cost money, the costs associated with the Council Chamber are an extortionate luxury with tastes bordering on the Palace of Versailles rather than a Town Hall.” 

Deputy leader of the council, coun Elaine Taylor responded: “We have invested in a council building that’s not only fit for the future, but one that Oldham residents can enjoy and access for years to come. We’ve done this by working closely with our commercial partners Tilbury Douglas to produce an outstanding building that has, where possible, utilised local suppliers, putting money back into Oldham. 

“As always, there will be those trying to make this a negative story without coming up with any alternative proposals themselves. It’s typical behaviour to criticise without having any original ideas or vision of their own. 

“I also want to make clear that the money for this project is classed as capital spending. Capital spending is money spent on creating or improving assets such as buildings. It cannot be used for areas under revenue expenditure, such as repairing potholes.”

Visitors can book on to a ‘sneak peek’ tour of the new Council Chambers this Saturday, August 16, where the new name of the building will be revealed.

Oldham Old Library exterior. Credit: Charlotte Hall