ASHTON-UNDER-LYNE’S town hall will be back open for business in just over four years’ time.
But Tameside Council leader, Cllr Eleanor Wills, has vowed it will not be a case of patching up and opening the doors – this will be ‘regeneration for identity’s sake.’
The building has stood empty for a decade and costings to bring it back into full use were as high as £23 million.
However, at the full meeting of the authority – which used to take place in Ashton – on Tuesday, July 15, the new vision was revealed.
After becoming a big part of the new Greater Manchester Strategy, which will see Ashton and Stalybridge become a national model of transport-led regeneration, three pledges were signed.
And Cllr Wills told how the first is to not only get Ashton Town Hall back open, but to get it functioning fully.
She said: “We have put ourselves front and centre by signing up to three pledges.
“These will ensure that we play our part in making strategy a reality, while also delivering on improvements locally, that Tameside’s residents can see and will truly impact where they call home.
“Together we are building the Tameside of tomorrow. Our ambitions anchored in action.
“The first pledge from this leadership is to regenerate Ashton Town Hall and civic identity by 2030.
“We pledge to restore Ashton Town Hall, not merely as a heritage building but as a civic symbol reborn.
“The heart of Ashton will beat anew, with a town hall that doesn’t just belong to the past but leads the future.
“This isn’t restoration for nostalgia’s sake, it’s regeneration for identity’s sake. A space for our communities, our young voices and our cultural energy.
“Let this be a civic home that hoists possibility, a landmark where our borough’s character shines through “
Documents for a meeting of Tameside Council’s executive cabinet in March 2024 detailed the costs of bringing Ashton Town Hall fully back to life.
They stated: “The intrusive survey work completed to date has identified that scheme costs are now considerably in excess of the original £3.4 million estimates.
“The cost of the repair of the whole roof, high level stone parapet and façade works for the whole building is now estimated to be circa £8 million.
“The internal restoration of Ashton Town Hall, which would be necessary to enable the building to be capable of occupation, would be a significant refurbishment estimated to require an additional budget in excess of £15 million at present day prices to complete in full.”
The report also revealed demolishing the old council headquarters, known as TAC, damaged the Grade II listed building, which opened in 1840.
It added: “The Town Hall was closed in order to facilitate its physical disconnection from TAC as part of the demolition and site clearance of TAC.
“The disconnection resulted in significant damage and scarring to the Town Hall’s rear elevations, including the need for stabilisation and remediation works.
“The rear elevations have multiple door and mechanical and engineering penetrations which require significant repair and restoration.”