There have been lots of rumours in the press and out on the streets about Haigh Hall. I have learnt some interesting facts.
One thing for sure is Labour has let Haigh Hall fall into a diabolical. This Labour run Council is now saying it needs about £10 million to bring it up to spec again. The issue for me is they have let it get in this state by not spending any money over the last decades, so why are they so surprised now that they need £10 Million.
So they are looking for private company to come in and put the money in and that company will get to run the Hall as a way for them to get their money back plus profit too.
However, they know that is a tall order, so they are looking for grants for up to £10 million and then get a private company to run the Hall, so the company will get an up to date business with minimal investment.
One thing that they are looking at is turning the Hall into a Hotel. The thing is that they will want to build more bedrooms so at the back of the Hall the hill could be removed and the new bedroom block there. I think this will change the whole area and character of the Hall.
Another idea could be a garden centre too.
The one thing that worry's me is every time Labour do something they mess it up. There is nothing that they haven't touch that has worked out. We will see how they go with this but one thing that is for sure they can't be allowed to mess this up.
I wonder if you could find out Gareth how many proposals have been dreamed up by consultants over the last 20 years and at what cost to the council? This isn't the first and they don't come cheap.
ReplyDeleteYou are correct in your view that the council have been negligent in the underfunding of the hall and grounds for decades. The Wigan Evening Post did the debate no great service with its theme park / hotel story. Let's be clear, no private company is going to fund millions of pounds worth of improvements in the current environment if in any environment. Funding for grants is also unlikely as the cuts will continue for years to come.
What is needed in the short term are small scale investments that will attract more visitors to the park and hall thus bringing income in. Partnering with the private sector is the way to go but small scale. However I agree with you that this council do not instill me with confidence as recently shown in their standoff with Leigh East. The council wasted a small fortune on the redevelopment of the stables block which should have led to proper income generating catering and bar facilities for use by the general public. Instead they delivered 2 tiny bars with a seating capacity of 20 and a kitchen you couldn't swing a cat in. The much vaunted creche was shut, corporate facilities lost money and the golf club was hit with massive price hikes for catering.