Hall’s closure date switched

Queen Elizabeth Hall: temporary closure delayed

THE temporary closure of Oldham’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, linked with a £30 million hotel scheme, has been rescheduled for later this year after a rethink by developers.

The building was to close at the end of March as part of the Hotel Future project but will now remain open until at least the end of July.

It is understood the rescheduling is linked to finalising legal papers, and there is no suggestion the redevelopment scheme is in any doubt.

The changes means more events can now be held at the hall this spring and summer. The One Future Sports Awards, which were in danger of moving out of town, will now take place as scheduled on July 11. A number of other key events — including a week of music and song by students from the Oldham Music Service at the Lyceum — will also go ahead.

Queen Elizabeth Hall will become part of the new hotel’s banqueting and conference offering. It will become a convention centre with a 200-seat lecture theatre.

The new 120-room hotel will double up as a full-time vocational training centre, said to be the first of its kind in the world.

Work is expected to last around 18 months which means a whole series of prestige events - including the Mayor’s Civic Reception and Ball, the One Oldham Business Awards, the One Future Sports awards and the Oldham Chronicle’s flagship event Pride in Oldham - will have to find a new home for at least a year.