The wait has been a long one, but Manchester Town Hall is getting closer and closer to its completion as more scaffolding is removed and its interiors are given a new lease of life. Manchester City Council recently gave a new update report on the once-in-a-century Our Town Hall project, outlining the landmark’s road to completion and unveiling first-look images of the Grade I-listed building.
The largest and most complex heritage project undertaken in living memory anywhere in the UK
The renovation of Manchester Town Hall, one of the nation’s finest and most architecturally important civic buildings, is said to be the largest and most complex heritage project undertaken in living memory anywhere in the UK. Manchester Town Hall is currently being repaired, restored and refurbished to safeguard it for future generations and improve public access to its incredible interior and artefacts.
As part of the Our Town Hall project, Albert Square has been enlarged by 25% with pedestrianisation on three sides. This year saw Manchester Christmas Markets be partially held at Albert Square, returning to the annual festive event after six years.
When will Manchester Town Hall renovations be finished, and how much will the project cost?
With Albert Square largely reopened, the latest report published by Manchester City Council explains the challenges the project has continued to face and their further impact on its budget and the timetable to complete the Town Hall works.
Although later than the previous estimated date, the Council says the project completion date is now set for spring 2027, and there is more certainty on this.
However, as well as a delayed completion date, the Council has announced that a budget increase of £95 million will be required to overcome ‘the final obstacles’, taking the overall project budget to £524.8 million. As well as existing costs, the increased budget includes a substantial 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 will not have an impact on services.
Why is it taking so long to complete?
According to the local council, the Manchester Town Hall project has been impacted by a combination of challenges since its construction phase started in 2020. Wider factors have ranged from disruption caused by the Covid pandemic and the 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.
Since the Council’s last major update in October 2024, issues have continued to impact the project, such as the wider construction industry experiencing a 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 has also been difficult, and due to the complexity of the project, 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 4% and 6% since October 2024.
How much work is left to do on Manchester Town Hall?
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 have given a glimpse of the beautiful condition in which the iconic building will be returned to Manchester. When Manchester Town Hall 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.
When can the public visit Manchester Town Hall?
The Town Hall belongs to the people of Manchester, but many have never been inside the building. With the timescale for completion more certain, plans continue to develop to welcome Mancunians and celebrate project milestones. These include a series of ‘hard hat tours’ and work on a community cultural programme to mark the return of the building.
Our Town Hall project: “Only the restoration of the Houses of Parliament will surpass it in scale.”
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.”