Part of a council-owned Greater Manchester landmark could be bulldozed and the land sold off for housing, the Manchester Evening News can reveal. One idea is that the plot freed up at Swinton Civic Centre could be used for new homes, it is understood.
The section that could be bulldozed is a 1970s extension constructed at the rear and side of the original 1936 building, which became Swinton Civic Centre and the municipal headquarters of Salford following local government re-organisation in 1974.
One council source said: "There have been discussions at a political level about it. Much of the newer wing has remained empty as people have continued to work from home after Covid. I understand it has been mooted as a briefing at a council cabinet meeting."
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The wing was constructed in the late 1970s as extra capacity was needed for the council to deal with the administration of the borough after the merger of several local councils. It houses the planning department, estates services and staff with other duties.
There are already firm plans for the register office - which is currently housed in a refurbished east wing of the 1936 building - to be relocated to a Georgian mansion in Buile Hill Park, which is to be repaired after three decades of neglect.
Another source told the M.E.N: "The plan is for the whole of the extension to go and new homes to be built on the site - which would be considerable. The council could make a lot of money from the sale of the land."
The old part of the town hall on Chorley Road, fronted by immaculate lawns, was constructed in the 1930s at a cost of £80,000. It was later dubbed the city's 'White House'.
The foundation stone was laid by the mayor on October 17, 1936. It was designed by architects Percy Thomas and Ernest Prestwich in the neo-classical style.
It was officially opened by then deputy leader of the Labour Party Arthur Greenwood MP on September 17, 1938. The 125ft-high clock made it a major landmark in Salford.
A glass-walled computer centre was built to the south-east of the town hall, in order to cope with increased administration requirements, and was completed in July 1973. The council chamber was re-modelled at that time so that it was capable of accommodating a larger number of councillors.
A four-story extension located to the south-west of the town hall was completed in the late 1970s. The City Treasury Building, also known as 'Unity House', was opened in October 1991. Following the closure of Kingslea House on Barton Road in 2007, the east wing of the civic centre became the local register office and as well a venue for weddings and civil partnerships.
A spokesman for Salford council said: "Work on a vision for Swinton's future as a whole is ongoing and part of that is considering options for council-owned land in the town.
"We have an opportunity to create tomorrow's local centre, but that does rely on removing the Lancastrian Hall, rethinking the shopping centre and repurposing the Civic Centre and the spaces around it.
"The council is committed to the area continuing to be the heart of Salford’s democratic function. There are no plans to demolish the former Swinton town hall which forms part of the Civic Centre complex.
"Relocating the Register Office from the old part of the Civic Centre (the former Swinton town hall) to Buile Hill Mansion is about finding a sustainable use for the building after refurbishment."
