Vision for new £24.5m theatre to replace iconic Oldham Coliseum revealed

Bosses have revealed how a new £24.5m theatre to replace Oldham’s iconic Coliseum could look as the historic venue prepares to close next month.

At a cabinet meeting on Monday (February 27), councillors are set to ‘recommit’ to the development of a new theatre in the borough, and to formally accept £1.845m of Arts Council England funding to provide cultural activity for the next three years.

It comes a week after the Coliseum Theatre said it would close its doors permanently at the end of March after being dropped from the Arts Council funding portfolio.

READ MORE: "Not everyone can afford to take their kids to Manchester shows": Sadness as closure looms for Oldham's Coliseum Theatre

Council chiefs want to open a new ‘more modern’ theatre – which would be smaller than the 585-seat Coliseum – at 84 Union Street, in the Old Post Office and former Quaker Meeting House. The report states that the new theatre is on target to be open by 2026, with a planning application expected by the summer.

It is the second masterplan for a new theatre in Oldham, after a scheme laid out under previous council leader Jim McMahon to move the Coliseum into a state-of-the-art £27m new venue was shelved in 2018.

Council leader Amanda Chadderton said: “After the really sad news from the Coliseum in recent weeks, it’s great to see such a positive step forward for the future of arts and culture here in Oldham.

“It’s so exciting to see what our theatre will look like and how architects have translated the plans we’ve worked up with our partners for a brilliant new space, in the heart of our emerging cultural quarter.

“This fantastic new theatre will offer performers, staff, and audiences a great experience as well as revitalising our cultural