Funding boost puts hall revival on track

Foxdenton Hall: status change will improve group’s access to funds.

Plans to restore Foxdenton Hall to its former glory and open to the public are gathering pace.

Community group Chadderton Together has been granted a licensing arrangement which will allow it to search for funding to refurbish the Grade II listed building. Oldham Council has also given the project a £30,000 boost with the support of ward councillors.

The two year licensing arrangement will entitle Chadderton Together to ask bodies such as Heritage Lottery and Historic England for grants to breathe new life into the hall.

The Rev John Simmons, chairman of Chadderton Together, said: “This licensing arrangement is a great springboard for our group to enlist the help of the public. We now need to outline what we hope to do, develop a business plan, demonstrate our vision for the building and recruit other volunteers as well.”

Last summer rumours the council was planning to sell-off the decaying hall — the jewel of Foxdenton Park — for demolition and development were strenuously denied. The latest move should reassure residents there is a strong commitment to retaining the hall