It has been four years since the grade one-listed building was last open to the public. Now, with only weeks left until its grand reopening, the council has released a first look at what it has been up to.
The latest proposals for the grade one-listed building at The Esplanade focus on the repair of the west wing, including the restoration of the council chamber.
Sarah Townsend
Whitefield-based HH Smith has been selected to undertake the first phase of work to restore the grade one-listed building on The Esplanade and will start on site in the coming days.
Rochdale Council has already granted planning permission to the scheme and secured £8.3m from the National Lottery Fund last October enabling it to kickstart the project. The council intends to fund the remaining £14m scheme cost.
HH Smith is to carry out critical work over the next six months such as electricals, drainage, wiring and the stripping out of modern additions, like mezzanine floors and MDF partitions, which the council says are not in keeping with the character of the building.