First look: Inside Heywood’s revamped civic

The civic, which first opened its doors in 1966, temporarily closed in December 2024 to enable a Rochdale Borough Council and Arts Council England funded refurbishment to take place.

Carried out by Lancashire based Conlon Construction, the centre has benefitted from a large glass fronted extension at the front to create a new bar and cafe, new and additional changing areas to enable the staging of bigger shows than ever before and retractable seating, to create a more flexible community space in the auditorium.

Further upgrades to the performance area have improved lighting sound and ventilation to create a better audience experience, while more accessible facilities and a Changing Places facility will ensure that this well-loved cultural space can be used by everybody.

Local arts organisation, Cartwheel Arts, will now be based in the building with space to put on community arts projects and workshops in the heart of Heywood.

Councillor Neil Emmott, leader of Rochdale Borough Council, said:

“Heywood Civic has served the community of Heywood and beyond for 6 decades. This fantastic transformation has ensured it will continue to be a focal point for entertainment and the arts for this town and the wider borough for many years to come. I’m delighted to see the results of this ambitious project and know our residents and visitors will love it too.”

Heywood Civic has played host to a number of acts over the years, including Ken Dodd, Gerry and the Pacemakers, Brotherhood of Man and Showaddywaddy.

Left to right: Neil Emmott, leader of the council, Penny Thompson, relationships manager at Arts Council England, Councillor Sue Smith, cabinet member for communities and cooperation and Chris Coleman, Deputy CEO of venue operators, Your Trust Rochdale.

With the official opening night set for Friday, 27 February 2026, as well as the fantastic programme visitors always enjoy, like music, tribute acts and classes, the new and improved centre will enable venue operators, Your Trust, to put on an even broader programme which will include more drama, dance and comedy.

Jen Cleary, Director North West, Arts Council England, said:

“We are proud to have supported the redevelopment of Heywood Civic Centre through our Capital Investment Programme.

The centre is a place where everyone in the local community can discover their creativity and enjoy the benefits that cultural activity can bring to their wellbeing, as well as develop skills and pride in where they live. And I’m sure that the fantastic programme of events will encourage more people to visit Rochdale borough where they can see the cultural energy of the town for themselves.”

The civic temporarily closed in December 2024 so the refurbishment could take place.

The redevelopment of Heywood Civic  is part of the wider regeneration of Heywood. A separate project, run by the Heywood Town Board, will see £20 million invested into the town over the next ten years using the government’s Pride in Place funding. Peine Square, which sits immediately in front of Heywood Civic, has already been transformed using money from this fund.

A Transport for Greater Manchester led project will also soon be delivering major improvements to the roads and pathways in the area.

Councillor Danny Meredith, cabinet member for regeneration, said:

“It is great to see the completion of this landmark project for Heywood, which is just a part of the transformation we will see in this area in the future. I’m also confident that the wider Heywood business community will benefit from the many visitors Heywood Civic will attract.”

Councillor Sue Smith, cabinet member for communities and cooperation, said:

“Heywood Civic has been a focal point of the Heywood community for many years. By making it bigger, better and more accessible, these crucial changes will ensure that this venue will not only continue to impress existing audiences, but also attract new visitors to this fabulous space.”

The civic’s new shows are selling well, with a packed programme including ‘Glitch: the true story of the post office scandal’, children’s show, ‘The Detective Dog’, based on the recent book by prolific children’s author, Julia Donaldson, and magic show, ‘the Man who was Magic’.

Councillor Angela Brown, chair of the Heywood Township, said:

“It’s so good to see this incredible project come to fruition after all the hard work and the best thing about it is that, with the Pride in Place funding soon ready to be invested into the community, there is so much more to come for Heywood.”

Conlon Construction were the main contractors on the Heywood Civic project, with Rochdale Development Agency delivering the project on behalf of Rochdale Borough Council, supported by Hive Project Managers with cost advice from Identity Consult. The core design team for the scheme included K2 Architects, Steven Hunt Associates and Sutcliffe.