A new update report on the once-in-a-century Our Town Hall project sets out the path to its completion in spring 2027 and the enduring positive legacy it will create for Manchester.
The project
Our Town Hall is the largest and most complex heritage project undertaken in living memory anywhere in the UK. The Grade I-listed Manchester Town Hall – considered one of the nation’s finest and most architecturally-important civic buildings – is being repaired, restored and refurbished to safeguard it for future generations and improve public access to its incredible interior and artefacts.
Albert Square, enlarged 25 per cent by its pedestrianisation on three sides, is also being transformed into a word class events space as part of the project.
Timescales and budget
With Albert Square largely reopened as the centrepiece of this year’s Christmas events, the report published today (Friday 28 November) explains the unique challenges the project has continued to face and their further impact on its budget and the timetable to complete the Town Hall works.
The project completion has now been set for spring 2027. This is later than the previous estimated date, but with more certainty. To overcome the final obstacles, a budget increase of £95 million will be required, taking the overall project budget to £524.8 million. As well as existing costs, the increased budget includes a substantial to contingency to support a spring 2027 completion. The Council’s Executive will be asked to approve this increase, which will be funded by borrowing and not impact directly on services, when it meets on 10 December.
Challenges
The project has been impacted by a unique combination of challenges since its construction phase started in 2020. Wider factors have ranged from disruption caused by the Covid pandemic and a volatile economic climate, influenced by external factors such as the war in Ukraine, to unprecedented materials and labour cost inflation in the construction industry.
More directly project-related factors include a shortage of specialist labour capacity in the supply chain, issues with the supply of materials (which under strict heritage rules need to closely match those used in the original construction) and ongoing discovery of further construction challenges, all of which unavoidably cause delays and associated costs.
These challenges range from minor obstructions and quirks from the original Victorian build all the way through to structural issues which require design solutions before work can continue.
These issues have continued to assail the project since the last major update in October 2024. For instance, the wider construction industry is experiencing a steep rise in the number of companies falling into administration. Three of the contractors delivering works packages as part of the project have gone into administration in the last six months alone.
Sourcing the required materials is also difficult. As an example, this summer the project’s principal stone contractor advised that the quarry from which approved stone (closely matching that used in the original construction) was ceasing to supply the construction industry in bulk. This has caused delay as an alternative source of suitable stone is found.
Such is the complexity of the project that any delay to one element of work has a knock-on impact on many others.
Inflation has also continued to be an issue with the cost of labour growing at between four and six per cent since October 2024.
Progress and benefits
With most external work complete, the focus of the project is moving to the Town Hall’s interior. The removal this year of parts of the exterior scaffolding and the huge temporary roof (which had been keeping the building watertight while roofing works were carried out) have given a tantalising glimpse of the beautiful condition in which the iconic building will be returned to Manchester.
When it reopens it will include a new, free public attraction The Town Hall Story which will bring alive the building’s fascinating history and role in city life.
The Town Hall and Albert Square stand in the heart of Manchester’s Civic Quarter and the Council’s investment in the project will act as a catalyst to further investment, as well as supporting surrounding businesses by increased visitor numbers.
Manchester people are already benefitting from the project. More than 57 per cent of its spending is with Manchester businesses (against an original target of 40 per cent) and 45 per cent of those working on the project live in the city (against a target of 30 per cent.) In total 330 jobs and 177 apprenticeships – 116 of which went to Manchester residents – have been created.
Bringing in the public
The Town Hall belongs to the people of Manchester but many have never been inside the building. With the timescale for completion firming up, plans continue to develop to welcome Mancunians and celebrate project milestones.
These include a series of ‘hard hat tours’ and work on an exciting community cultural programme to mark the return of the building to the heart of city life.
Deputy Council Leader Cllr Garry Bridges said: “This project to safeguard Manchester Town Hall and create unprecedented public access is the biggest heritage project the country has seen for many years. Only the restoration of the Houses of Parliament will surpass it in scale.
“A project of this size is extraordinarily complicated and has had to navigate a stream of challenges – from a global pandemic to high inflation in the construction industry and the hidden issues within the building’s historic fabric.
“Like everyone, we have been frustrated by the increased time and cost involved. But if we had not acted decisively to invest in the future of this Victorian masterpiece, many parts of which were reaching the end of their natural lifespans, we would have seen it become unusable and obsolete.
“We’re glad that we’re now on a confident path to completion in spring 2027, in time for the 150th anniversary of its original opening. The results of the project will be there for people to appreciate and enjoy for the next 100 years.
“Manchester people are beginning to see the benefits of the expanded Albert Square, at the heart of the city’s best ever Christmas, and there will be many more events to come in a public square to rival the best in Europe.
“When town halls like ours were built in the 19th Century, most Mancunians were excluded from them. But we want to give the building back to the people – inviting them to a new free visitor attraction and to share in a cultural programme around its reopening.
“Now we have a date for completion we can begin to look forward with excitement.”
Note to Editors
The anticipated completion date for the project given in the previous Our Town Hall update report was August 2026. This was the date for the completion of project works and the building being handed back to the Council.