PLANS to demolish Radcliffe Civic Suite have been met with a backlash from local residents, who fear losing an “iconic and unique” building.

The Radcliffe Times revealed last week that Bury Council is set to build 40 new affordable homes on the site, with the civic hall due to close in April next year.

There are also plans for a new combined leisure and entertainment venue on the site of the old Radcliffe Pool, in Green Street, which would act as a replacement for both the Civic Suite and the temporary Radcliffe Leisure Centre.

However, with the new facility at least two years away from being built, groups that use the Thomas Street building are faced with a struggle to find a new home.

Andrew Clarkson, Radcliffe Carnival chairman and a prominent campaigner when the Civic Suite was previously threatened with closure, said: “I’m absolutely gutted. I’m astonished that the council want to redevelop the town by demolishing the last civic building that Radcliffe has left.

“The Civic Suite is an iconic and unique building that is a big part of our community.

“It’s going to be at least a few years before there is any kind of replacement facility, and who knows what could happen between now and then?

“It is a pillar of the Radcliffe community and we are going to lose all sense of that soon. There are so many groups who meet at the Civic Suite who will now either need somewhere else to go or will be forced to close.”

Mr Clarkson is asking other concerned residents to come together in opposition to the plans by emailing him at carnivalchairman@live.com

Eugene O’Donnell, owner of New Button Garment Alterations and chairman of Radcliffe Business Group, is concerned about the effect the closure will have on the town centre.

He said: “This has been on the cards for years, and the fact of the matter is that we are losing another civic amenity.

“I know Radcliffe and people certainly need homes, but I don’t think the town centre is where we want them. We want to build up the town centre in a way that will attract people to come in of an evening, which isn’t happening at the moment.

“I understand that venues like this cost the council money but I don’t think enough work has been done to make greater use of them. The proposed new venue sounds very good in theory, but we don’t know when or if it will arrive.”

The Radcliffe Indoor Short Mat Bowling League, which has been held at the Civic Suite since 1982, could be forced to shut down if a suitable alternative venue cannot be found.

Its chairman, Alf Smith, said: “It’s an absolute disaster for us. We are trying very hard to find a new venue and the people at the Civic Suite are helping us find somewhere too.

“The problem is that we need to find somewhere that’s big enough, but also flat enough to bowl on and able to store all of our mats.

“It’s looking like a very serious situation for us, and we may well have to shut down.”

Councillor Rishi Shori, deputy leader of Bury Council, has promised that the new leisure venue will arrive within a maximum of three years and said closing the Civic Suite next year will allow for the best long-term solution.

He said: “We are going to move as quickly as we can, and this process isn’t just starting with the civic hall. This is another piece of the jigsaw in terms of the future of leisure facilities in Radcliffe, which started with the old pool closing down and us opening the temporary one.

“The maximum timescale for the new leisure venue is three years, but it could be as short as two years. At the moment we are putting together a business case, and that will be finished once we have completed the consultation and found out exactly what people want.

“We are faced with a set of very, very difficult choices. The civic hall would have probably closed within three years anyway because it loses money. Overall, the council has to subsidise the civic halls across the borough by around £300,000 a year.

“The status quo can’t remain. People have had their noses put out of joint over this, but they would have lost the hall in a few years anyway.

“What we’re planning will give the people of Radcliffe a long-term solution and hopefully a new building that is there for the next 50 years.”

The council is currently carrying out a survey allowing residents to give their suggestions for the new venue, while future events already scheduled for the Civic Suite are in the process of being re-arranged.

He added: “In the meantime, we are working with our partners to move the Civic Suite’s events to other venues within Radcliffe. We will be making use of the health centre, of church halls, of Groundwork’s facilities, and other spaces.

“The Civic Suite isn’t closing until April – there is plenty of time to organise things and plenty of buildings to move to.

“We want a venue that is used five days a week. I know people are upset and this will cause some problems in the short term, but I ask people to be patient.

“People said that the temporary pool, and the new bus station, and the market refurbishment wouldn’t happen – but we have kept our promises and I think we deserve some trust.”

The popular New Century Soul nights held at the Civic Suite have been offered Bury Town Hall as an alternative venue.

Organiser Chris Waterman said: “We were obviously disappointed when we first heard the news, but it has worked out okay from our point of view because we have been offered Bury Town Hall as an alternative venue.

“We would have been devastated if there had been no alternative, but this does mean that November will be the last chance for people to see our acts in Radcliffe.”

The annual rock and metal festival, SOS Festival, has also been moved elsewhere in the borough.

Mark Appleton, manager of promoters Rocksector Records, said: “We were of course disappointed to hear the news but must say we really appreciate the co-operation extended to us by the staff at Radcliffe Civic.

“With their help an alternative venue within the borough is already reserved and so we're happy the future of SOS Festival is secure. We expect to make a further announcement with details in the coming days.”

An information leaflet on the plans and the survey, open until December 18, are both available at www.bury.gov.uk/radcliffe-regeneration or from Radcliffe Civic Suite, Radcliffe Leisure Centre or Radcliffe Library.