About Friends of the Royal Oak

Friends of the Royal Oak was formed as a community group in early 2020, after some initial opinions from the community were gathered via social media by the group Team Cheadle. A poll Team Cheadle issued on Facebook (August 2019) with 629 votes, indicated that 84% supported the idea of the building becoming something other than apartments.

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As there appeared to be a lot of public support, Friends of the Royal Oak was formed with the sole aim of investigating the purchase and renovation of the Royal Oak. In order to save the property from potential dereliction and to transform it into an asset, which will be a focal point for the community and breathe new life into Cheadle’s historic High Street.

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Members of the group include local councillors, businessmen and residents with experience of delivering community projects. After considerable discussion and public consultation, the proposal to run the Royal Oak as a charitable or community business enterprise was agreed.

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Having completed a Project Viability Appraisal for the group's initial scheme, this was declared unfeasible due to the costs involved with renovating the entire building. A new scheme was presented in early 2023.

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This scheme would see the listed exterior renovated, but in the short term only the ground floor would brought into use as a mixed use space. Over time more of the building would be brought into use. This phased approach will reduce the amount of funding needed at the start of the project.