Civic Centre building could be turned into hotel
Plans have been submitted to transform Oldham's 15-storey Civic Centre tower into a 126-room hotel, including service areas, a restaurant, and a conference hall. The building, a divisive brutalist-style landmark, would be retained as part of a wider regeneration scheme for Oldham, which includes new homes and commercial spaces. Public opinion is split, with nearly half of surveyed residents opposing the plans.
Oldham’s 15-storey Civic Centre tower could become a 126-room hotel under plans submitted to the council by developers Muse.
The brutalist-style building, constructed between 1962 and 1977 by Cecil Howitt & Partners, would house hotel rooms alongside service areas, a restaurant and conference hall in the basement, ground and first floors. The proposal involves no external changes to the structure that currently dominates Oldham’s skyline.
“The tower stands at the summit of the town and is visually very prominent,” planning documents written on behalf of Muse state. “At 15 stories, the block towers above surrounding buildings as a single beacon in the town skyline and can be seen from miles around, even from South Manchester as well as Tameside and Stockport. It was clear that Civic Tower presented a landmark building in the townscape which should be retained and celebrated.”
The hotel proposal forms part of a broader regeneration scheme for Oldham, which includes 2,000 new homes in the town centre, new commercial spaces and Jubilee Park. While the tower would be preserved, the rest of the Civic Centre and Queen Elizabeth Hall are earmarked for demolition to make way for housing.
Public opinion remains divided on the plans. Survey data shows 49% of 53 respondents disagreed or strongly disagreed with the proposal, with sceptics questioning whether a hotel is appropriate given recent closures in the town centre. Some residents continue to view the building as an “eyesore,” while others consider it “an important landmark and wayfinder.”
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