Multi-million pound plans to transform Heywood Civic Centre into a first class arts and performance venue are drawing nearer, now a planning application has been submitted.

Under ambitious proposals by Architects, K2, the much-loved venue, which has been an icon in the town since the sixties, will undergo a major revamp.

The venue is currently well used but proposals include some major improvements including increasing the size of the foyer, with a brand new cafe and bar area to the front.

More plans

  • Create a brand new glazed frontage onto Peine Square to modernise the building’s appearance and open up the new foye
  • Upgrade to the performance space, including new sound and lighting.
  • Brand new retractable seating in the auditorium to allow flexible use of the space.
  • More lifts and accessible toilets, including a changing places facility and baby changing station to make the building accessible to all.
  • Reducing the building’s environmental impact.

The changes will enable the venue to build on the success of its popular events programme, with new opportunities for the community to participate in the arts, as well as the relocation of local arts organisation, Cartwheel Arts, to a new base in the centre.

Discussions with locals

The plans, which have been honed following discussions with the local community, also include reconfiguration of the back of house facilities, creating a larger changing room area for the performers. This will allow for an even bigger and better variety of productions to be staged.

The plans are part of an £8.5 million investment into arts and culture in the borough over the next three years, thanks to Arts Council England and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport funding.

In addition to Heywood Civic Centre, Touchstones Rochdale is being transformed into a visual arts led creative and cultural hub, alongside the creation of a cultural district in Rochdale town centre.

Heywood Civic Centre is operated by the council’s leisure and culture partner, Your Trust, who are also partners in the project, and Rochdale Development Agency (RDA) are managing the project on the council’s behalf. North-West based Hive Projects and K2 Architects have been appointed as part of the design team.

Councillor Sue Smith, said: “I’m pleased to see this project progressing with these exciting plans. The civic centre has been an important part of Heywood life for generations and is a real asset to the town. These upgrades will greatly improve the experience for both performers and audiences, helping attract a wider range of cultural events to Heywood.”

Jen Cleary, director north, Arts Council England, said: “Our Let’s Create strategy wants everyone to have access to a remarkable range of high-quality cultural experiences where they live, so it’s exciting to see the plans to transform Heywood Civic Centre progress. A modern, accessible building where the whole community can enjoy a wide variety of cultural events and activities is great news for Heywood, which is in one of our Priority Places for investment, and I’m very pleased that we have supported this project through our National Lottery funded Capital Investment Programme.