I very much welcome the announcement by Oldham Council to invest £2m in the modernisation of Royton’s historic town hall to form a new community hub.
Royton Town Hall was opened in 1880 and holds a commanding position on Rochdale Road greeting visitors from Rochdale and Oldham along the main road.
Established as the home of the Local Board it served local government in Royton until the creation of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham which brought together Oldham and its surrounding townships.
The building is in use as a base for local council officers as well as Greater Manchester Police and has been used by the boroughs Social Services team who occupy the large extension to the rear.
Following the creation of District Executives the council has promoted the strong local identities of each township with local councillors given delegated budgets to support local improvements. The establishment of high quality community hubs is seen as an essential part of its localism ambitions.
As a local councillor in Failsworth for many years before entering parliament I supported the regeneration of the vacant Failsworth Town Hall into a thriving community building with a new library, community rooms and function room as well as accommodation for district staff and local police officers. If anyone wants to see what is possible I strongly encourage a visit to Failsworth. The mix of old and new is impressive but so too is the respect shown to the buildings history.
The history of Royton Town Hall was included in my maiden speech in the House of Commons when I recounted the 26th November 1884 ‘gunpowder plot’ which saw the then newly opened offices targeted by an industrialist who objected to restrictions on children working in mills.
The newly refurbished town hall will accommodate the library which will move into the space freed up by council staff. This will allow a range of local facilities to be brought together under one roof with the current library, itself an important local landmark, refurbished with a new use, for instance a restaurant, bar or other use.
I know the council is keen to ensure local people have their say and they are keenly aware that the future of the current library will be a concern too. It is on that basis that they are proactively seeking expressions of interest in the building ahead of work starting on the town hall in April 2018.
Further plans are also being developed to improve Royton’s dated precinct and give locals the high quality town centre it deserves. At the heart of any plans will be the need to secure and promote the popular Thursday market.
See more information here https://www.oldham.gov.uk/press/article/1433/plans_to_transform_royton_town_hall_revealed
Jim McMahon OBE MP 