A landmark building in Oldham that has housed a bowling alley, nightclub and even a roller derby team during its long history is set to be demolished.
Plans have been submitted to knock down the former Riley's building on King Street.
Opening as the Grand Theatre in 1908, it was substantially rebuilt in 1937 as the Gaumont Cinema.
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According to the Theatres Trust, the building was then converted to a bowling alley before conversion to a nightclub, and there were previous plans, approved in 2007, to demolish the building and replace it with a mixed-use development of up to 15 storeys of retail, office, and residential space.
However, these plans seemed to have fall through.
In March, an Urban Explorer went inside the building, showcasing abandoned snooker tables, broken fixtures, and even a view from the top.
From 2011, the building was known as the Thunderdome, the home of the Rainy City Roller Derby team, before they were told to pack up and leave in 2020.
According to land registry documents, the building was bought by Properties Ade Limited for £825,000 on May 30, 2022, itself owned by holding company Ade Group Holdings Ltd.
The company appears to be linked to Dubai real state conglomerate Al Dallal Group, and its registered address in the UK is Chorley New Road, Bolton.
Now, an application to demolish the building has been submitted to Oldham Council.
The application, made by Munshi + Partners Architecture & Properties on behalf of Al Dallal, seeks to determine if prior approval is required to demolish the building.
The application says a new development is to be proposed on the site.
No detail is provided in relation to future development on the site, and the application states that the company expects the demolition to be completed by April 23 of this year – unlikely, considering the date has passed.
Previous plans approved in 2007 were for a mixed-use development of six to fifteen storeys, which would have included a basement car park, ground floor retail space, office space, and 126 residential apartments.
Al Dallal Group has not provided a response to repeated requests for comment.
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