Oldham approves £8.6m Prudential Building revamp

The council will now get the ball rolling on the transformation of the grade-two listed building into a business incubation hub.

Oldham Council approved the project at its planning committee meeting on Wednesday.

The Prudential Assurance Building is located at 79 Union Street in Oldham and dates back to 1889, designed by Alfred Waterhouse – the architect of Manchester Town Hall.

Architect Buttress’s designs have taken a contemporary architectural approach to complement the listed building’s character, while bringing it back into use. 

There will be 1,300 sq ft of coworking space, 1,800 sq ft of meeting space, and 9,400 sq ft of office space provided across five floors.

Workers will have access to a 430 sq ft café, in addition to kitchen and tea points on each floor.

The net construction value of the project is estimated at £8.6m, funded by a mixture of Oldham Council’s capital funds and its £11m Future High Streets Award.

Work is estimated to start on site in August this year, with an estimated completion date of October 2024.

In addition to Buttress, the project team includes Turner and Townsend as the principal designer and Civic Engineers as the structural and civil engineer.

To find out more about the project, search for application number 350248 on Oldham Council’s planning portal.

The Prudential Building is one of the council’s many current renovation projects, having submitted plans this February for the overhaul of the Old Library to facilitate meeting rooms, a council chamber, an art gallery, and a theatre. 

Oldham are also undertaking the redevelopment of the former Spindles shopping centre, of which the first phase completed in October last year, to create a total of 450,000 sq ft of office space.