Former town hall could demolished to make way for new houses and 80-bed care home

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

Middleton’s old town hall could be demolished to make way for new houses and an 80-bed care home. Parkfield House, on Manchester Old Road, was the former municipal borough’s HQ before the local government shake up of 1974 put the town under Rochdale council’s administration.Later bought by the North West Water Authority, the now vacant building was most recently used as offices for security firm Chubb.

It dates to the mid-1960s. Having stood empty for three years, Muller Property Group has submitted plans to demolish the ‘brutalist’ structure and replace it with 20 two and four-bed town houses, as well as an 80-bed care home.

The building sits within the Old Road conservation area and planning papers say its ‘modern influence’ is reflected in the design of the proposed new scheme. “The architectural details have been carefully selected for their ability to provide a subtle reference to the existing Parkfield House’s modern, brutalist aesthetic and add visual quality and purpose to the proposed façades,” documents read.READ MORE: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp community “The distinct features include canted detailing and ribbons, linear concrete bands and grey tones, repetitive opening frequency and feature brick bands and patterns." The care home is largely three storeys with an offset fourth floor dedicated to servicing the home, while most homes are a mix of two and three storey.

The original Parkfield House was a country house with formal gardens, built in the late 18th century, also used as Middleton Town Hall for a period it was demolished in 1978.