£7m extra for Oldham Coliseum refurb after toxic asbestos found

An extra £7m will go towards securing the future of Oldham’s Coliseum Theatre after widespread toxic asbestos and major issues with the building were discovered.

The theatre, on Fairbottom Street in the Greater Manchester town, has been undergoing a major refurbishment as part of a now £17m project to deliver a ‘high-quality and safe venue for the borough’. Currently scaffolding is up around the building and work is taking place through the building, though a new roof has now been fitted.

Closed since 2023, the theatre is now expected to open in 2027 after more extensive surveys were carried out. These surveys, which involved knocking into the building’s walls, have identified things about the building not currently known about causing the project to be delayed by a year.

A new basement was discovered beneath the entrance foyer but there has also been structural defects found beneath one staircase and toxic asbestos is far more widespread than previously thought. Despite no political leadership in place yet at Oldham Council due to an ongoing stalemate, the local authority told the LDRS political leaders had unanimously supported the additional funding needed.

The extra funds come from grant funding given to the local authority and are included in a back-up contingency fund for instances like this where costs may increase. This will mean no money will be coming from Oldham Council’s budget and no cost will be passed onto those paying council tax.

Asbestos is a fibrous mineral that was valued for its strength and fireproofing capabilities in old buildings and was widely used. It is now banned from use but if disturbed where it is still present, those fibres cause severe, incurable lung diseases.

When removing asbestos from a building, extreme care needs to be taken to project workers and the public including making sure any materials removed are completely sealed and removed safely. Specialist teams are often brought in to carry out this work.

Matthew Bulmer, project director for Oldham Council, said: “You would expect to find asbestos in a building of this age but there is more of it and it’s more widespread than we would have liked.”

He said the building’s location close to Yorkshire Street, a key road in Oldham, and the building’s age, renovated in stages over decades, made the refurbishment more challenging and complex. The full extent of materials like asbestos, which was found inside walls, could not be known until more invasive works started.

If the funding was not approved, Mr Bulmer said work would have had to stop. Despite the issues, he said the local authority was moving forward at pace, adding: “The people of Oldham stood up and said we want it and the council stood behind them.

“With a project like this, there are bumps in the road but we will get it done. There has already been good progress. There will be further progress in the next few months and this will be something that Oldhamers will be proud of because it will look amazing.”

Pointing to other developments in the town centre, he added: “It’s about making the centre of Oldham a better place. We want the Coliseum to be the centre of culture where you can go out and get something to eat or drink and spend money with the businesses in the centre of Oldham.”

While the theatre is closed, operators Oldham Coliseum Theatre Limited have continued to put on events across the borough. After Arts Council England’s annual funding was pulled in 2022, the theatre was once threatened with closure and at one point had just one member of staff.

However now with a larger team now in place, those in charge of running the theatre hope to be in a good position to bid again in the future. The company recently hired Nick Bagnall as creative director who previously worked at the Everyman in Liverpool.

Martina Murphy, CEO, said it was a really exciting time as they focused on outreach work across the borough through smaller productions and build up what she said would be a theatre for the working class. From Oldham, she said the theatre was her first and like many, has fond memories from her childhood.

She said they were prepared for possible delays telling the LDRS they were ‘stronger than we have ever been’, adding: “By the time the doors are open, we will be fully operational to give the people of Oldham what they deserve.”

Ms Murphy said: “The Oldham Coliseum is more than a building. It’s where generations of people have discovered theatre, laughed together and created lasting memories. Every decision being made is about creating a theatre that honours its remarkable history while giving future generations a place to imagine and belong.”