Plans for historic town centre building approved

An iconic building in Stalybridge will get an extension as part of plans to make the building more accessible. 

Astley Cheetham Art Gallery and Library will get £1.8m of upgrades after council bosses in Tameside approved the regeneration earlier this year. Planning permission has now been granted for the Grade-II listed building to be extended, with a new lift and a new external accessible ramp to be installed.

The existing accessible entrance to the Jacobean Revival style building has been described as ‘uninviting’ and ‘poorly signposted’, leading people through a car park and service yard to get there.

The current lift inside is beyond its serviceable life, according to Tameside Council. Other works for the Trinity Street building include structural repairs; improvements to lighting and the art gallery windows; and the creation of a central art display.

The repair work will be funded by the £19.9m awarded to the council from the government’s Levelling Up Fund back in 2023.

The scheme will form part of the wider plan to regenerate the town of Stalybridge. The historic asset will be included in the planned ‘Cultural Quarter’.

Just next door, the Civic Hall roof works have been completed and further internal works are now underway. These two buildings will form the headline acts for what is envisioned for the town.

Civic squares will be regenerated and the road network will be overhauled as part of a multi-million pound vision for the town. Armentieres Square, which is bisected by the Huddersfield Narrow Canal, would act as a centrepiece to the plan – hosting an event space with a stage complimented by new seating and tree planting.

Secured funding of £11.1m will also be used for the delivery of upfront enabling infrastructure to bring forward land for development, attract further investment, and deliver new housing for the town.

The infrastructure works for Stalybridge West include a new bridge over the River Tame near Caroline Street for pedestrians and cyclists, as well as a multi-storey car park off Waterloo Street.