January start for £3m Rochdale fire museum

Casey has been appointed to deliver the £3m Greater Manchester Fire Service Museum in Rochdale.

Casey will lead on the construction project to convert Rochdale’s former fire station in Maclure Road, part-funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Rochdale Council.

The changes will bring the museum, which currently operates from the rear yard of the fire station, into the main building, creating an exhibition space which will be more than four times the size of the existing site.

Exhibits include a fire engine from the 1700s, and the project is hoped to increase annual visitor numbers from 5,000 to 15,000, according to the council.

Work will start in the New Year, with the museum set to open to the public before Christmas 2020.

Museum trustee, Bob Bonner, said:We are absolutely thrilled that work on this once-in-a-lifetime project is about to commence and our revitalised museum will open to the public before long. The museum has campaigned for some time to save this wonderful Rochdale icon, so we are delighted that, through our partnerships with Rochdale Council and the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, this goal has finally been achieved. We look forward to working with Casey throughout this exciting transformation.”

As well as the museum, the work will also include the creation of a co-working office space for creative and digital industries on the first floor, with up to 100 desks.

Cllr John Blundell, cabinet member for regeneration at the council, said: “I’m all fired up by the news that this fantastic project will be taken forward by a local firm, meaning the investment and jobs will benefit Rochdale people and Rochdale businesses.

“This well-loved attraction has played host to many thousands of visitors since it opened in the early 1980s, thanks to the efforts of the fantastic volunteers. This first development is part of Rochdale’s Station Gateway masterplan and the ongoing £400m transformation of Rochdale town centre and we’re proud to be part of it.”

Rochdale Development Agency is overseeing the project on behalf of the council with OMI Architects leading the design team, and Poole Dick Associates providing cost management services. The Creative Core Group is supporting the museum with the exhibition design.

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