The cost of fully restoring Stalybridge's Civic Hall roof is predicted to soar to nearly £3 million after works were put on hold for months of Town of Culture events.

Tameside council chiefs have agreed to increase the budget for the restoration of the prominent Grade-Two listed building on Trinity Street, which has been the subject of plans to bring it back into use for five years.

Bosses say the Civic Hall roof is in ‘poor condition’ and following surveys in 2019 and 2021 has been found to be ‘beyond repair’.

Issues include gutters being choked with debris, decayed leadwork and widespread water leakage, as well as timber decay, and ‘heavy’ areas of vegetation and moss growth.

The budget for the project has grown substantially since it was first approved by the executive cabinet, as external costs increased and more problems with the roof were identified.

Back in 2021 it was expected it would cost £1.69m, which was already a huge increase on the initial budget of £558k.

It had been anticipated that the restoration work would begin in March last year, running until November.

But leaders said the temporary closure of the main space within the Civic Hall would have made it unavailable for use during the programme of activities planned for the Town of Culture year.

“In order to realise the full potential of the Town of Culture award to Stalybridge, the roof restoration scheme was therefore put on hold,” the cabinet report states.

This resulted in ‘significant cultural and reputational benefit not only to Stalybridge but to the borough as a whole’, officers add.

However putting the work on hold has had serious cost implications for the scheme, with a shortfall identified of more than half a million pounds.

Tameside council has now sought further external funding to complete the project, with a further £320k from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, and £875k which will come from the £19.9m of capital regeneration project funding announced for Stalybridge Town Centre in the government’s spring budget.

It means a total maximum budget, including £647k for contingency and un-costed works has now been set at £2.893m.

“The cost of restoring the roof has increased due to external factors and additional funding is now required to deliver the approved scheme as the original allocation of funding related to repair and restoration rather than replacement,” officers state.

However the report adds that any final cost plan is subject to change until a design and build contract has been signed.

Speaking at the executive cabinet meeting, Councillor Jacqueline North said: “We have now got the final piece of funding necessary to complete the work on this historic building which is in the middle of the heritage zone.”

Council leader Ged Cooney added it was ‘good news for Stalybridge’.

The long-awaited work to the roof will support bringing the Civic Hall back into regular use, with the council having already commissioned studies exploring the possibility of turning it into a food hall.

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