Oldham £24m theatre plans officially cancelled for Coliseum

The 138-year-old Oldham Coliseum was forced to close its doors in March last year after it was snubbed from Arts Council England funding.

To stand as its replacement, the Council made plans for a new £24.5m theatre in a 'cultural quarter' on Union Street which would have formed the Coliseum's new home sometime in 2026.

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Designs and computer-generated images of the theatre were released in a public consultation with the local authority describing it as "like a living room for the town".

CGI designs of what the new theatre could have looked like (Image: Oldham Council)

However, 'Save Oldham Coliseum' campaigners did not give up hope and argued the proposed Coli 2.0 fell short of living up to its predecessor on Fairbottom Street.

The campaign group argued the proposed theatre was too small, that it lacked adequate rehearsal space and seating capacity and, crucially, didn't have the fly-tower that is needed to deliver Oldham's world-class panto.

In a welcome and historic U-turn, Oldham Council announced last month that it would instead invest millions into restoring the town's beloved theatre to its former glory, meaning the Coliseum will reopen its doors once more on time for panto season in Christmas 2025.

Campaigners staged a triumphant street party in anticipation of the pivotal announcement to the public.

• Also read: How Oldham's 'crown jewel' and beloved Coliseum Theatre was saved

Council leader Arooj Shah and Coronation Street star, Julie Hesmondhalgh, who spearheaded the Save Oldham Coliseum campaign alongside a hefty group of dedicated theatre lovers, said it was an exciting and "emotional" rescue.

The pair said it had been "many, many months" in the making, packed with meetings and tough conversations on how to reopen the "OG" which, a year ago, seemed nothing more than a pipe dream.

Julie Hesmondhalgh and Cllr Shah announced the theatre had been saved to residents last month (Image: Newsquest, Olivia Bridge)

After the party, the Council outlined that £10m of the £24.5m reserved for the Union Street theatre plan will instead be spent on refurbishing the Fairbottom Street theatre.

This is made up of £6m coming from the Towns Fund and £4m from the Town Centre Regeneration pot.

Now, Council documents reveal the plan for the new auditorium, with a community/education space, offices and a cafe and bar, have formally been withdrawn as of August 5 this year.

Internal and external alterations to the former Grade-II listed post office and Friends' meeting house, as well as the demolition of the former museum building, have also been cancelled in their current form.

It is yet to be confirmed where the remaining £14.5m from the axed construction plans are going to be spent.

Meanwhile, the Oldham Coliseum building has joined just a handful of properties on the 'assets of community value' list as of July this year.

Only certain premises make it onto this list if it is proved that they further the social well-being or interests of the community.

The ACV status gives the Oldham Coliseum a layer of protection for five years, allowing the community the chance to register a bid for the asset in the event the owner - Oldham Council - decided to sell it.

There are six properties that have achieved this protected status, including Latics home ground, Boundary Park, and two pubs - The Daisyfield Inn on Keb Lane and The Royal Oak on Union Street.

When contacted by The Oldham Times about the cancelled plans, a Council spokesperson said: "The £24.5m theatre plan will not now progress and £10m of funding will be used towards the Coliseum reopening as mentioned as part of the news about the reopening announcement in July."

Got a story? Email me Olivia.bridge@newsquest.co.uk