Oldham’s iconic 134-year-old Prudential Building which has been rotting for years could be returned to its ‘former splendour’ under new plans.
The Victorian building on Union Street was compulsory purchased by the council after the cabinet agreed last March to bring it back into use as part of the Future High Street Fund programme.
Under the proposals, which have now been submitted for planning permission, the inside and outside would be repaired to transform it into a ’21st century incubator facility’ for businesses, focusing on the creative, digital, and media sectors.
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The building would be refurbished to create private and open co-working spaces, an event space, a café, and a lounge.
The Grade-Two listed building was designed by legendary architect Alfred Waterhouse, the master of the Victorian Gothic revival style who is best known for designing Manchester Town Hall and the Natural History Museum.
But after more than a decade of standing empty, in 2020 the town centre building, known as ‘The Pru’, was placed on the Victorian Society’s list of most endangered buildings.
Council officers said that there was evidence of break-ins and drug use in the building and alleyway behind it, with incidents of falling roof slates and glass into the street.
This had led to formal notices being served to secure the property, and notices under the Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.
A council report stated that the building was attracting anti-social behaviour, presenting health and safety risks, and posing aesthetic issues as a gateway building for those arriving in to or leaving Oldham town centre’.
Under the plans for the future of the building it is aimed to create 71 new businesses and more than 156 jobs over a ten year period, as well as helping emerging businesses grow.
Documents lodged by the town hall with the application state that it is currently in a ‘very poor state of disrepair’.
“The refurbishment and redevelopment of the building presents a unique opportunity to create a thriving hub in the heart of Oldham,” the design and access statement adds.
This would turn the 19th century building into a ‘vibrant co working and modern workplace that will attract young and upcoming tech businesses’, documents state.
The former banking hall, described by Buttress Architects Ltd as the ‘most significiant’ interior, decorated with ornate glazed tiling and colonnades, would become a ‘breakout’ social and café area.
A new roof is proposed to enclose the central atrium, with dormer windows installed to maximise space.
The council wants it to kick-start more than £2m of growth in the borough in the creative and digital sectors.
A decision on the plans is expected to be made from March.
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