Oldham Coliseum theatre 'not beyond repair', report suggests

A report commissioned by the theatre company's new board found previous investigations into the building's condition gave "a fair and reasonable picture" as well as outlining several short and medium-term costings to reuse the space.

After the company behind the Fairbottom Street theatre was refused further Arts Council funding in November last year, it was forced to close in April.

One of the reasons the Arts Council refused the NPO funding bid of £1.84m was financial viability given the state of the building.

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In an exclusive interview with The Oldham Times, ACE's North Area Director, Sarah Maxfield, said the Coliseum's application was deemed "very high risk" and didn't make a strong enough case for the investment of public money.

She said the building, which is more than 130 years old, was "in more than a mild state of disrepair".

The then leader of Oldham Council, Amanda Chadderton, reiterated that the building was "at the end of its life" and said performers, staff and audiences "deserve better".

The 138-year-old theatre was forced to close in April for good after the Arts Council rejected its bid for funds (Image: Equity UK)

Speaking to the BBC, Ms Chadderton said: "It is riddled with asbestos, the walls are falling down and we have done another survey recently and there is a litany of problems."

Instead, Oldham Council, with the help of ACE's ringfenced £1.84m that would have gone to the Fairbottom Street theatre, is in the process of building a £24m theatre.

The plans for the new theatre space were submitted early last week while the former Coliseum currently stands empty, having been gutted of its assets and its keys returned to Oldham Council.

Meanwhile, the Coliseum company, which will be the theatre's anchor tenants when it opens in 2026, has a new board of directors at the helm.

The board and trustees, led by chairman Duncan Craig OBE, face the complex task of continuing to deliver theatre and drum up audiences without having a physical space to operate in for three years.

Evidence of cracks in the Council's building report which Plann describe as minor defects (Image: Oldham Council)

Mr Craig also promised an independent review of the state of the building, plus a separate independent report into the previous governance of the Coliseum, would be commissioned to provide some answers.

• Also read: Oldham Coliseum report reveals leadership led to collapse

Mr Craig said he felt "strongly" the community deserved "full transparency about exactly how the theatre came to lose its ACE funding and how the building was allowed to degrade to such a degree."

In his latest update, he confirmed specialist theatre consultants, Plann, had finished reviewing Oldham Council's survey report from February this year and carried out a site visit this May.

He added: "The purpose of this was to separate out fact from fiction for us, a new board."

Mr Craig then revealed the "conclusion of the Plann report is clear, the building on Fairbottom Street is not beyond repair and with investment could be used again".

In the brief for the report, the Oldham Coliseum Trust had asked the reviewers to assess whether "reactivating the Coliseum in the short-term is an option" while the new venue is being built.

The building does have damp and issues that have persisted for some time (Image: Oldham Council Building Condition Survey & Statutory Assessment)

The Plann report itself, led by Jack Tilbury who has more than three decades of experience in theatre and construction industries, gave his executive summary and found the council's February report, and prior 2019 report by Unity Partnership, to provide "a fair and reasonable picture" of the condition of the building.

The summary continues that there is a "wide range of defects" but that most are "relatively minor".

Other than upgrading fire doors, "there is nothing we feel would fundamentally stop the building from reopening", the Plann report added.

It also found some issues had "obviously persisted for some time" and suggested this was due to a lack of investment from the landlord (Oldham Council) or tenant (Coliseum Trust) to fund repair projects over several years.

However, the Plann report agreed that the council's estimated £240,000 this year, followed by a further £126,000 over the following two years to keep the building afloat was a "reasonable assessment if the aim were to maintain the theatre indefinitely".

Work would be required to the heating system, pipework, electrics, lifts, structure and roofs over the medium term as "many of these are nearing the end of their useful lifespan or require significant repair".

The Plann report stated while there are "obvious operational and maintenance challenges that would need to be improved, reopening the building for a limited period would only require the most urgent or statutory works to be carried out".

A fire door, which would need to be upgraded, and some evidence of a damp wall (Image: Oldham Council Building Condition Survey & Statutory Assessment)

The company estimated the theatre could be reopened at a capital cost of approximately £150,000, which includes spending £2,000 for health and safety, £37,900 for building services, £7,500 for water quality, £65,000 for fire doors and £25,000 to attend to cracks, leaks and damp.

However, Plann outlines these costs would cover just the short term and Mr Craig admitted that given the financial position of the company and the costs of repairs, paying the bills, re-staffing and keeping the theatre going, reopening the theatre looked unlikely.

Mr Craig pointed out that the financial investment to the company given by Oldham Council in July via the Arts Council can only be used for the strict criteria of making theatre and creative arts.

Read the report in full here.

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