Eccles Crown Theatre redevelopment plans will proceed despite fire

Image credit: Mair Llewellyn

A property management company has confirmed that their plans to transform the Eccles Crown Theatre building into apartments will go ahead.

There have been campaigns to save the theatre at the beginning of this year to prevent the councils approved plans for re-development.

However in February, community campaigners lost their fight to save the Crown Theatre as Salford Council approved plans to redevelop the building.

Now the future of the develop became uncertain after a fire broke out in the early hours of Sunday morning, destroying the building’s interior.

Video created by Mair Llewellyn

Richard Goodwin, the Managing Director for Goodwin Property Holdings, issued a statement discussing their plans, saying: “On behalf of Goodwin Property Holdings, I would like to thank the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service and Greater Manchester Police for their concerted efforts in bringing a swift resolution to the incident.

“Their actions have ensured the structure of this iconic Grade II listed building remains intact and we are able to continue with our build programme without delay.

“Whilst the years of dereliction rendered the interior unsalvageable, retaining the original façade has always been integral to our redevelopment plans and we are delighted that we are able to proceed as planned in order to breathe new life into this historic building.”

Crown theatre in #eccles #manchester that burnt down the other day. Always amazed how a building this damp can burn! #abandoned #urbex #liveforthestory #canon #crowntheatre pic.twitter.com/CRNPNWE2O9

— david (@scrappynw) December 1, 2019

First known as the Lyceum when it opened in March 1899, the grade II-listed theatre in Eccles was built with the intent to provide a luxury theatre for Shakespeare productions and drama.

The theatre has since been used as a cinema and a bingo hall before its permanent closure in the 1980s.

Original plans to demolish the entire building in 2015 were withdrawn after objections from Historic England, however in February permission was granted by the council to develop the building into flats.

The redevelopment is set to house 82 one, two and three-bedroom apartments, with the company aiming to have the building completed by the final quarter of 2020.