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Will Coliseum find new home at town hall?

Lee Sykes
2/ 4/2008

OLDHAM Coliseum could move to a new home in the old town hall building as part of updated plans for the redevelopment of the town centre.

A report by property specialists GVA Grimley on future regeneration in the town was submitted to the council’s cabinet on Monday.

The likelihood of the Coliseum moving to the Old Town Hall seemed remote when the historic building was initially earmarked to be part of a new shopping complex on Clegg Street.

It was thought the Coliseum would be provided with a new base as part of redevelopments in the West End of Oldham. That scheme is still a possibility, but the council is now examining other options.

GVA Grimley’s plans for the town centre also include a family complex with a splash-type leisure pool, sports hall, gym, cinema, bowling alley and restaurants.

The sports complex would be built be on the site of the Tommyfield outdoor market and the existing Oldham Sports Centre.

A regional academic science centre on part of the former Pennine Way Hotel site has also been announced.

Cllr Dave Hibbert, cabinet member for the environment and regeneration, said: "While Oldham town centre provides a wealth of shops and market stalls for people to browse, there is much more to the modern town centre and we want to give the people of Oldham and its visitors a real buzz when they visit.

"We want to change the nature of Oldham town centre and move away from the ‘Wild West’ reputation it has on Friday and Saturday nights and make it more attractive for families and youngsters. If these recommendations go ahead we are hoping to attract a major developer to work with us to deliver our town centre schemes."

Ian Kendal, chief executive of Oldham Community Leisure Ltd, which operates Oldham Sports Centre said: "We are really excited about the proposals for the sports centre. To combine the existing site with the outdoor market across Lord Street and create a major new family complex is just what the people of the borough want."

The leisure complex proposals are also timely in the light of the recent proposals to relocate the outdoor market traders onto the town centre streets to provide a more central retail space for stalls.

Grimley’s proposal to relocate the Coliseum Theatre into the Old Town Hall will now be investigated further with the theatre, English Heritage and with chosen developers Wilson Bowden.