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\n\t\t Reporter: Charlotte Hall, Local Democracy Reporter
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\n\t\t Date published: 06 June 2025
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A CGI of the new block which is to replace Rileys Snooker Club. Image taken from prom planning documents<\/p>\n
An eleven-storey tower could soon mark the entrance to the centre of Oldham.<\/p>\n
Plans for an eleven, nine and six storey building on the former site of Riley\u2019s Snooker Club on King Street were approved by planners this week.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Designed by Footprint Architects, the 120 apartments will overlook the town\u2019s major junction with Union Street and become a \u2018waymarker\u2019 for those approaching the nearby Oldham King Street tram stop.<\/p>\n
The blueprints feature a mixture of 57 one-bedroom, 61 two bedroom and 2 three-bedroom units on the upper floors.<\/p>\n
The ground floor will include 15 car parking spaces and six commercial units.<\/p>\n
Developers claimed they had considered plans to retain the original building, which has a long chequered history as a theatre, snooker club, cinema, music hall and roller derby training ground.<\/p>\n
Once host to the Beatles only Oldham gig in 1963, it started life as the \u2018Grand Theatre\u2019 and was designed by London architects Thomas Taylor and Ernest Simister.<\/p>\n
But due to its poor state and layout, the building was not salvageable and is currently being bulldozed after a separate application for demolition was approved in March.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Mr Sadiq, who represented applicant Mohammed Ahmad Aldallal of ADE Properties, said he spent seven years studying at the nearby Oldham College and spent \u2018almost every day at Riley\u2019s Snooker Club\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s actually a great honour to study somewhere and then be asked to redevelop it,\u201d he told town planners.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat we\u2019ve tried to do is a really mature architecture. We didn\u2019t want to squeeze tiny apartments into a block that wasn\u2019t sustainable for families to grow or people to have partners and stay for a long time. \u2026This building offers a solution to the growth of Oldham.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Town planning chair Marc Hince commented it was \u2018great to have someone with a connection to the town come back and make a positive difference\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Councillors discussed the limited number of parking spaces, but decided the building\u2019s \u2018highly sustainable location\u2019 and the lack of on-street parking nearby would mean only residents who are content to rely on public transport were likely to move in.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Most praised the development, with Coun Shoab Akhtar claiming it was \u2018one of the best designs the town hall has had in a while\u2019.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The plans were approved unanimously under the condition that developers conduct a viability report immediately before construction to determine whether they can feasibly include affordable housing.<\/p>\n
Currently, the plans include no affordable housing as it would make the project \u2018unviable\u2019, according to two reports by developers and the council.<\/p>\n
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