Restoration of town's civic hall finished

The regeneration of a town's "beautiful" civic hall has been completed.

Stalybridge Civic Hall, which was built in 1868, was once home to the town's indoor market but is set to reopen as a centre for festivals and theatre performances.

Its leaking roof has been repaired and its historic Victorian features restored.

Councillor Leanne Feeley, the executive member for lifelong learning and culture at Tameside Council, said it was the "centrepiece" of the town centre.

Some of the first events will be put on by Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre, and will include circus skills and dance.

Feeley said the civic hall can now move forward as a "versatile space".

She added: "We want to make this an exciting building for people to use and be part of."

The building will host the Royal Exchange Den Festival throughout May, with workshops, shows, comedy and music, within a tent inside the hall.

Other cultural events in the town include the Tameside Beer Festival and the regular Street Fest in Armentieres Square, which will include food and live music.

Work has also been completed on a Historic England Heritage Action Zone in Stalybridge, which has helped to restore the shopfronts on Market Street.

It included making the road one-way to create room for raised flower beds, and space for tables and chairs on the pavement outside.

Alasdair Brown, the general manager of Ols Bier and More on Market Street, said the pavement licences had made a "big difference".

"Last summer, people wanted areas outside to sit and we've found our customer base is a lot more young professionals who've moved into the area."

Katie Harrison, who runs Giuseppe's Sicilian Bistro on Market Street, said: "We've been open for just over two years now and its going really well".

"Businesses are opening and people are putting more money into the area."

The town is also benefitting from £20m of Levelling Up cash, which it is hoped will encourage private sector investment and help build around 500 new homes.

It will be spent on a new footbridge across the River Tame, landscaping next to the Ashton Canal, and a multi-storey car park close to the railway station.

Construction is also expected to start this year on improved disabled access to the Astley-Cheetham Library and Art Gallery next to the Civic Hall.

Work has also taken place on landscaping around the portico of the former Stalybridge Town Hall, which was destroyed by a fire in 1989.

The conservation area in the town centre has been on the English Heritage at-risk register since 2010.

It is hoped the restoration programmes will lead to it being removed from the list.