Oldham to get £16m heritage centre at old library site

The interior of Oldham's former library and art gallery, a Grade II-listed site built in 1883, is rapidly deteriorating

A new £16m heritage centre is to be built in Oldham to "showcase the story" of the town's past.

Plans have been approved to develop Oldham's former library and art gallery as part of the creation of a new cultural quarter in the town.

The Grade II-listed building, built in 1883, will house the town's museum, archives, local studies and store in one location.

It will focus on Oldham's role in the cotton industry to the present day.

Plans to create the centre were previously approved in 2018 but subsequent surveys showed extra alterations to the building were required.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said a new application was submitted to create a "safe, secure, usable shell" for the Union Street building before it was fully fitted out.

An official for Oldham Council said: "It's about securing the efficient use of the building, and the extent of the changes does amount to public benefit."

There have long been plans to create a cultural quarter in the town, although in 2018 a £27m project to relocate the Coliseum theatre was scrapped.

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