Work is due to get underway to transform Royton Town Hall into a welcoming family-friendly, multi-use building.
The refurbishment of the historic venue and adjoining Royton Library will create a new library area, improved community rooms and commercial space. The building will be made accessible for all users and will become much more energy efficient, supporting Oldham Council’s commitment to becoming the greenest borough in Greater Manchester.
The project is part of Oldham’s Creating a Better Place strategy, which will boost regeneration across the borough and support its recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.
The design includes all the community needs identified from community engagement work. It will see the 1960s rear extension demolished with the cleared area then landscaped to create a flagged area with seating.
The existing library area is to be sub-divided into two distinct areas - a newly created refurbished library area and a commercial space to rent to a local business or social enterprise.
A reception desk will facilitate both the new library area and offices for council staff, which will extend to the ground floor of Royton Town Hall.
Upstairs in the town hall, the existing community room will be retained and revamped to offer an improved area for the community to use. The refurbishment will also include a platform lift, accessible toilet and kitchen area.
The whole building will also benefit from the installation of additional sustainability and energy efficiency measures to reduce its carbon footprint, as part of our Green New Deal - an ambitious target of the council becoming carbon neutral by 2025 followed by the whole borough by 2030.