| Redditch Town Hall | |
|---|---|
 The building in 2012 | |
| Location | Walter Stranz Square, Redditch |
| Coordinates | 52°18′18″N1°56′19″W / 52.3051°N 1.9386°W |
| Built | 1982 |
| Architect | Cassidy & Ashton Partners and Ove Arup & Partners |
| Architectural style(s) | Modern style |
  Shown in Worcestershire | |
Redditch Town Hall is a municipal building in Walter Stranz Square in Redditch, a town in Worcestershire, in England. It is the headquarters of Redditch Borough Council.
After significant population growth, largely associated with the needle and fishing tackle industries, a local board of health was formed in the area in 1858. [1] After the local board of health was succeeded by Redditch Urban District Council in 1894, [2] the new council adopted the old police station and magistrates' court in Evesham Street as its offices. [3] The council later acquired a Victorian style house on the corner of Mount Pleasant and Salop Street: that building became known as The Council House although, after the council left, it was rebuilt and became known as Stoneleigh House. [4]
The Council House in Mount Pleasant continued to serve as the headquarters of the urban district council for much of the 20th century and remained a meeting place for the enlarged Redditch Borough Council which was formed in 1974. [5] However, in the late 1970s, with the increasing responsibilities of the borough council, council leaders decided to commission a more substantial civic complex. The site they selected, on the southwest side of Alcester Street, was occupied by town's fire station. [6] [7]
The new building was designed by Cassidy & Ashton Partners in partnership with Ove Arup & Partners, built in red brick with metal roofs and was completed in 1982. The design involved an asymmetrical main frontage erected around a courtyard facing onto Alcester Street which featured fountains and an octagonal kiosk with a pyramid-shaped roof. [6] Internally, the principal room was the council chamber which was established in a single storey polygonal structure in the south east corner of the complex. The architectural historian, Nikolaus Pevsner, seemed unimpressed with some aspects of the design: he said that "the building outstays its welcome by extending…along the southwest of Alcester Street." [8]
The town hall was the venue, in October 1984, for the annual Aneurin Bevan Memorial Lecture during which the Deputy Leader of the Labour Party, Roy Hattersley, spoke about reducing unemployment and repatriating capital back to the UK. [9] [10]
By 2020, much of the building's floorspace was disused, leading to calls for a major renovation project. Civic leaders announced that the building would be extended, with a new entrance and reception area added, and it was confirmed that the town library, jobcentre and Citizens' Advice Bureau would all relocate to the building. [11] [12] It was also decided that the west wing would be converted to accommodate a National Health Service clinic, while the council chamber would move to the second floor. [13] [14] The first stage of the works, relating to the new clinic, was completed in October 2023, [15] while construction work to implement the second stage of project, relating to the relocation of the council chamber, commenced on site in April 2024. [16] The project to demolish Redditch Library and relocate services to the town hall, which was led by the Conservative-led Redditch Borough Council and approved by Worcestershire County Council despite strong public opposition, was cancelled after Redditch Labour gained control of the council in the 2024 Redditch Borough Council election. [17]
Worcestershire is a ceremonial county in the West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Shropshire, Staffordshire, and the West Midlands county to the north, Warwickshire to the east, Gloucestershire to the south, and Herefordshire to the west. The city of Worcester is the largest settlement and the county town.
Kidderminster is a market town and civil parish in Worcestershire, England, 20 miles (32 km) south-west of Birmingham and 12 miles (19 km) north of Worcester. Located north of the River Stour and east of the River Severn, in the 2021 census, it had a population of 57,400. The town is twinned with Husum, Germany.
Alcester is a market town and civil parish in the Stratford-on-Avon District in Warwickshire, England. It is 8 mi (13 km) west of Stratford-upon-Avon, and 7 miles south of Redditch. The town dates back to the times of Roman Britain and is located at the junction of the River Alne and River Arrow.
Redditch is a town and non-metropolitan district with borough status in Worcestershire, England. It is located south of Birmingham, east of Bromsgrove, north-west of Alcester and north-east of Worcester. In 2021, the town had a population of 81,637 and the district had a population of 87,037. In the 1800s, it became a centre for the needle and fishing tackle industry; by the end of the century, 90% of the world's needles were manufactured in the town and its surrounding areas.
Stratford-on-Avon is a local government district in Warwickshire, England. The district is named after its largest town of Stratford-upon-Avon, but with a change of preposition; the town uses "upon" and the district uses "on". The council is based in Stratford-upon-Avon and the district, which is predominantly rural, also includes the towns of Alcester, Henley-in-Arden, Shipston-on-Stour and Southam, and the large villages of Bidford-on-Avon, Studley and Wellesbourne, plus numerous other smaller villages and hamlets and surrounding rural areas. The district covers the more sparsely populated southern part of Warwickshire, and contains nearly half the county's area. The district includes part of the Cotswolds, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Bromsgrove is a local government district in north-east Worcestershire, England. It is named after its only town, Bromsgrove, where its council is based, but also includes several villages and surrounding rural areas. It borders the built-up area of Birmingham to the north. Other places in the district include Alvechurch, Aston Fields, Belbroughton, Catshill, Clent, Hagley, Rubery, Stoke Prior and Wythall. The population at the 2021 census was 99,475.
Wythall is a large village and civil parish in the Bromsgrove District, in the northeastern corner of the county of Worcestershire, England. Wythall parish borders Solihull and Birmingham, and had a population of 12,269 in the UK census of 2021.
Hollywood is a large village predominantly located in the Bromsgrove district of Worcestershire, England, almost contiguous with and to the south of the city of Birmingham. Hollywood was formerly part of Kings Norton, but when Birmingham expanded in 1911, Hollywood remained in Worcestershire. The village now lies across the wards of Hollywood, most of Drakes Cross, the Trueman's Heath polling district area of Trueman's Heath parish ward and, following a 1966 border change, the southern portion of the Birmingham Highter's Heath ward, with all but the latter being located within the civil parish of Wythall. The southern part of the village is also known as Drakes Cross, whilst the eastern part is sometimes referred to as Trueman's Heath. Hollywood is situated in the extreme northeastern corner of Worcestershire, 8.5mi/13km south of Birmingham city centre, 6mi/9.5km west of Solihull and 8mi/12.5km northeast of Redditch.
Worcestershire County Council is the county council for the non-metropolitan county of Worcestershire in England. Its headquarters are at County Hall in Worcester, the county town. The council consists of 57 councillors and is currently controlled by the Conservative Party.
Essex County Council is the county council that governs the non-metropolitan county of Essex in England. It has 75 councillors, elected from 70 divisions, and has been under Conservative majority control since 2001. The council meets at County Hall in the centre of Chelmsford. It is a member of the East of England Local Government Association.
Harvington is a village near Evesham in Worcestershire, England. Bounded by the River Avon to the south and the Lench Hills to the north, three miles northeast of Evesham and now on the Worcestershire/Warwickshire border. The village today is an amalgamation of two smaller villages, Harvington and Harvington Cross, and has a population of around 1,750.
The 2003 Redditch Borough Council election took place on 1 May 2003 to elect members of Redditch Borough Council in the West Midlands region, England. One third of the council was up for election and the council stayed under no overall control.
Pendle is a local government district with borough status in Lancashire, England. The council is based in Nelson, the borough's largest town. The borough also includes the towns of Barnoldswick, Brierfield, Colne and Earby along with the surrounding villages and rural areas. Part of the borough lies within the Forest of Bowland Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
Redditch Borough Council is the local authority for Redditch, a non-metropolitan district with borough status in Worcestershire, England.
The 2018 Redditch Borough Council election took place on 3 May 2018 to elect members of Redditch Borough Council in England. The Conservatives won control of the council from Labour with 17 seats, compared to 12 for Labour and 0 for the UKIP.
Havering Town Hall is a municipal building in Main Road, Romford, London. The town hall, which is the headquarters of Havering London Borough Council, is a Grade II listed building.
Leyton Town Hall is a municipal building in Adelaide Road, Leyton, London. The building, which includes Leyton Great Hall, is a Grade II listed building.
Farnworth Town Hall is a municipal building in Market Street, Farnworth, Greater Manchester, England. The town hall, which was the headquarters of Farnworth Borough Council, is a grade II listed building.
Redditch Library is a library in the centre of Redditch, United Kingdom. Constructed for £550,000 and opened on 24 January 1976, it is the town's main public library, having been purpose-built to replace the former building on Church Green. It is the second-largest library in Worcestershire and attracts up to 12,500 visitors a month. It was renovated in 2009 for just over £1,000,000.
Stourport Civic Centre is a municipal building in New Street in Stourport-on-Severn, a town in Worcestershire, in England. The building, which is currently used as a public events venue, is owned by a community group.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)