Town hall £1m roof works set for go-ahead

Hyde Town Hall is set to get a makeover worth almost £1m.

The Grade II-listed building, which officially opened in 1885, has been plagued by issues of water getting in and degrading the insides in recent years. The problem has been getting worse in the last year, according to Tameside Council reports.

Next week, town hall bosses are set to sign off on £950,000 worth of works to repair the roof of the historic building and refurbish inside.

Council papers read: “The building has suffered several incidences of major water ingress during the winter of 2024/25 as well as in previous years. The Building Managers have noted that the incidences are becoming both more frequent and increasingly serious. 

“Areas affected have included the main feature stairwell, Hyde Library, the Rutherford Suite, Business Centre and the area adjacent to the MP’s office.”

The work is deemed essential to ensure the building is fit for purpose so the children’s services staff based there can deliver the department improvement without disruption. The programme is scheduled to complete the works by the end of February 2026.

The town hall is expected to be the centrepiece in an overhaul for Hyde. A repurposed town hall, the overhaul of Clarendon Shopping Centre, creation of a more attractive public realm and a redesign of the markets are all touted in a masterplan.

Under the local authority’s vision, the public realm upgrades to Market Square will prioritise the use of the square for cultural events, festivals, pop-ups, and placemaking activities that bring vibrancy, excitement, and diversity to the town centre.

The idea behind this is to link the newly refurbished shopping centre and Market Square to the town hall (just across the road). This goes towards one of the masterplan goals of making Hyde Town Hall a ‘regionally significant cultural destination’.

CGI of the reenvisaged Hyde Town Hall. Credit: Tameside Council