A contractor is set to be appointed to help bring new life to the historic Royton Town Hall and Library building, as part of the ongoing restoration project.

Oldham Council say refurbishing the town hall and library is important to ensure that the building can continue providing essential services to people in Royton and to preserve and showcase as much of the original decoration and features as possible.

The local authority adds that the impact of national inflation has meant the council's Cabinet committee needs to review and consider the impact of additional construction costs, appoint a contractor and finalise the work programme, at the meeting on Monday (13 February). 

Oldham Council Leader Amanda Chadderton said: “We’ve made brilliant progress and it’s fantastic to see the buildings start to come back to life, celebrating their original design and heritage.

"We're delighted to be able to appoint a contractor and get back on track in the coming weeks after, rightly, considering the increased costs because of national inflation.

“The clock tower’s copper roof has been repaired along with the clock face and we’ve demolished the 1970s rear extensions.

“We want the town hall and library’s original character to shine through and are delighted to be working alongside Royton Local History Society to select the right materials for the building’s era.

“Now we’ve started that work, it is crucial to see it through to maintain and enhance this important part of our history and we look forward to welcoming the community back to a much-improved building, for them to use as soon as work completes.”

Cabinet members will meet to approve the funding and contractor appointment as the preferred bidder is holding a fixed price until 24 February – which, if approved – will revamp and restore the building back to its original Victorian glory and provide an improved space for the community to use.

You can see the Cabinet agenda here.

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