Oldham Council has secured £1 million from The Heritage at Risk Capital Fund to protect and preserve the Grade II listed Prudential building on Union Street.

The grant will fund vital works to the building while longer-term plans for its future are developed. The Prudential was built in 1889, next to the Oldham Central Metrolink stop, and was designed by Alfred Waterhouse, whose other buildings include the Natural History Museum and Manchester Town Hall.

The building was derelict when the council used its compulsory purchase powers to buy it in 2024. The Victorian Society had identified the Prudential as one of the UK's most at-risk historic buildings.

The Heritage at Risk Capital Fund is delivered by Historic England and funded by the government's Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. It supports the repair and conservation of historic buildings across England. The Heritage at Risk Capital Fund grant programme will award up to £75 million over five years, to 2030.

James Kington, Oldham Council's Director of Growth, said: "Securing this £1 million investment from Historic England is fantastic news for our community.

"These essential works will help to protect an important part of our heritage while we continue to explore opportunities for its long-term future."

Louise Brennan, Director of Regions, Historic England, said: "Historic buildings are an important part of what gives places across England their character and identity, and they can be powerful assets for the communities around them."

She said: "This funding will support urgent conservation needs while helping projects move towards sustainable futures, whether through continued use, new uses or bringing valued buildings back into active use."

Alongside projects such as the award-winning J.R Clynes building, the former Old Library building which now houses the Council Chamber and Mayor's Parlour, the investment demonstrates Oldham Council's commitment to bringing historic buildings back into sustainable use and ensuring they continue to contribute to the borough's future.