Tilbury Douglas to lead £10m Oldham Coliseum restoration

With a goal for the theatre to reopen in time for the 2025 pantomime season, Oldham Council has appointed its main contractor to handle the design and build of the refurbished space.

Oldham Council Leader Cllr Arooj Shah described Tilbury Douglas’s appointment as “a huge milestone” for the refurbishment of the historic theatre building off Fairbottom Street.

“Tilbury Douglas has a fantastic track record of delivering amazing buildings in our borough and I have no doubt that they will do the same for the Coliseum,” she said.

“The whole team shares our ambition to make Oldham a brilliant place to live, work and visit and I can’t wait for them to get started.”

The Oldham Coliseum has had a storied past, dating to 1887. It has been a music hall, cinema, and playhouse – hosting performances by the likes of Charlie Chaplin, Ralph Fiennes, Barbara Knox, and Sian Phillips.

The theatre shut last year after losing its annual grant from the Arts Council England and being deemed no longer financially viable to operate.

Oldham Council had sought to build a replacement theatre for years, lodging plans for a £27m new-build facility off Southgate Street in 2013. Those plans were abandoned in 2018.

Plans were submitted last year for another £24m replacement theatre, this time off Greaves Street and designed by Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios. However, during the consultation period the public feedback was overwhelmingly in favour of keeping the original Coliseum building, according to the council.

This led the local authority to announce in July that it had abandoned the new-build proposals in favour of a much cheaper refurbishment. The price tag for this scheme is £10m, of which £6.1m comes from the council’s successful Towns Fund bid.

Since then, D Hughes Demolition has carried site preparation and enablement works. Now, the building is ready for the next stage of works.

Tilbury Douglas is no stranger to Oldham Council, and is working with the local authority on another heritage project – the transformation of the Old Library off Union Street into a council chamber, meeting rooms, art gallery, and theatre.

“Building on our collaborative work with Oldham Council to transform the historic Old Library, we are excited to bring our expertise to the refurbishment of the Coliseum,” said Phil Shaw, managing director for the North at Tilbury Douglas.

He continued: “This project reflects our strategic focus on creating spaces that enrich communities, supporting Oldham’s cultural ambitions while preserving its heritage.”

Tilbury Douglas’s North West regional director, Martin Horne, agreed and promised a strong social value programme as part of the delivery of the project.

“Our strong track record of delivering community-focused projects and creating social value will be at the heart of our approach to the Coliseum refurbishment,” Horne said.

“We are committed to working closely with Oldham Council to deliver a venue that celebrates its history and contributes to a thriving local community.”