Ashton Town Hall set for £3m repairs
Tameside Council has submitted plans to renovate the grade two-listed building off Market Street in order to bring the building back into use, after closing its doors eight years ago.
Ryder Architecture has designed the scheme on behalf of the local authority. Plans would see much needed external and internal repairs to Ashton Town Hall to protect the building’s fabric.
Prior internal repairs have left “ramshackle” internal beams on the building’s ground floor, according to a structural condition report provided by engineering consultant Curtins. Plans would see these beams altered to prolong the life of the town hall.
Proposals also include improved ventilation and cladding, as well as replacement roofs.
Dating back to 1840, Ashton Town Hall has been closed since 2015 with full council meetings currently taking place at Dukinfield Town Hall.
The £3m project is part of Tameside Council’s £20m Levelling Up programme. The local authority was awarded the funding following a successful bid in March.
Plans for the town hall follow the authority’s proposals for improvements to Ashton Market Square, also part of the town’s successful Levelling Up bid.
To learn more about the proposals for Ashton Town Hall, search for application number 23/00640/LBC on Tameside Council’s planning portal.
Refurbishing a Grade 2 Listed building requires specialist traditional trades and skills and materials all of which are difficult to procure in 2023.No short cuts must be accepted and experienced architects structural engineers and cost engineers/quantity surveyors employed need to be carefully selected to ensure that time scales and approved cost budgets do not run out of control and insurance indemnitied must cover for this.
The Market Square proposals do not appear to have been well accepted by many TMBC residents and deemed a waste of tax payers money by many .
By Paul griffiths
This is great news, Ashton-under-Lyne used to be a great place. The market area definitely needs an upgrade
By SH
Why was it allowed to fall into disrepair
By Onetruesaxon
Why it it always Ashton that takes the bulk of the money ie Ashton bus station the market ground now the council buildings think about the surrounding areas that need infrastructure
By Geoffrey Booth
Keep wasting money on Ashton spend some around the rest of tameside
By Barry Dickinson
Why couldn’t Tameside do the same with Hyde Library instead of letting it rot away ,it’s a disgrace what’s happened to it.
By Anonymous
Repair old building that have story is always a good idea.Sorry for my English.
By Francesco Petrarca
This is a ridiculous idea. How come the swimming baths has to shut, when this old dilapidated building is going to cost 3 million to do. Tameside council have got their priorities so wrong. First they shut Dukinfield baths and now Ashton too. What about all those people that use the baths . Youngsters learning to swim, kids playing at weekends and hols, OAP’s. Loads of people, so many more than will use that old building.
By Lorri
Was the levelling up funding meant for such projects? How will upgrading the town hall benefit local people? Leisure Centre, Library and other public services cut! Another vanity project, nice to have but not essential and will do nothing for the local residents
By Anon
Is about time it was done and reopened after 8 years, every time I got to Ashton and see the weeds growing around it always wonded what they were going to do with it.
By Stephen Halliwell
When will this work be started/completed please? The levelling up fund has to be used by 2025 ??
By Ann Englizh