New plans for old snooker club

Plans for a multi-storey apartment block on the site of a former snooker hall and nightclub in Oldham are set to be approved.

Riley’s Snooker Club on King Street was approved for demolition in March, with works currently underway. In its stead, architects Footprint Design have proposed a staggered six, nine and eleven storey building with 120 apartments. 

The designs feature a mixture of 57 one-bedroom, 61 two bedroom and 2 three-bedroom units on the upper floors. The ground floor will include 15 car parking spaces and 5,700 square feet of commercial space, which could be used for shops, cafes or leisure offers. 

Council officers have recommended the plans for approval at a town planning meeting on Wednesday, May 4, noting the ‘sustainable’ and ‘prominent’ location. 

Officer Graham Dickman wrote in his report: “The development would assist in the regeneration of the town centre.”

The application for the new building currently features no affordable housing, with a report claiming the project would become unviable. 

Before its demolition, Riley’s Snooker Club had a long and varied history. Previously used as a cinema, night club and a Roller Derby training centre in the past, it was once visited by the Beatles for a gig in 1963. 

The building started life as the Grand Theatre, a performance space designed by London architects Thomas Taylor and Ernest Simister, who also designed Chadderton Town Hall.

After a brief stint as a cinema, it became a concert hall called The Astoria Ballroom in 1961. 

At other times, the building has also been home to a bowling alley and a nightclub and then a snooker hall. It became disused and was nearly demolished in 2008-2009 before being taken over by the Rainy City Roller Derby team under the name of the Thunderdome. 

But the group lost the lease of the building in 2020 after ten years. According to the Land Registry, it was sold off for £825k in 2022. 
It then lay empty for the last five years, becoming a derelict ‘eyesore’ at the entrance to the town and attracting urban explorer