Hopwood DePree to host "urgent" public meeting on Hopwood Hall Estate situation

A public meeting will be held on Wednesday 20 November, to discuss the future of the Hopwood Hall Estate in Middleton, which has reverted to the ownership of Rochdale Council.

The meeting has been organised by community residents and volunteers as well as Hopwood DePree, who had been working for years to restore the historic building, listed on Historic England’s 'At Risk' register.

Hopwood, an actor who moved from Hollywood to Middleton to take on the restoration of what he claims is his ancestral home, said he decided to organise the meeting after Rochdale Council "cancelled their township meeting", and says he decided to host his own instead, so the public can air their views on the matter of the old Hopwood Hall building.

The council recently decided not to renew an agreement with Hopwood to restore the hall, a decision he learned of through a journalist’s enquiry from Rochdale Online.

He maintains he should have been told about the decision, which was made at a cabinet meeting, by the council rather than via a news reporter.
 

Read more: Actor’s restoration dream shattered as council plans to take back ancestral home - without him knowingPublished: 04 November 2024

Hopwood’s ambitious plans to bring the historic building back to its former glory have now faltered, despite years of work and investment.

Council leader Neil Emmott said this week that the Rochdale Council is committed to ensuring a viable future for the building.

He added: “Over the last seven years, public bodies, including the council, have invested almost £1.7m into the hall, but now is the time to find a new strategy for bringing it back to its former glory.

 

 

“Throughout that period, we have remained closely involved in the project, offering advice, expertise, and considerable financial investment. That work, along with partner organisations like Historic England, is going to continue.”

Call for public input

The upcoming meeting, organised by Hopwood, will provide local residents with the opportunity to share their views on the future of the historic building.

• Wednesday 20 November
• 6pm to 8pm
• Richard Bentley Smalley Memorial Hall, Thornham Lane, Middleton, Manchester M24 2RE.

Local residents are encouraged to attend and have their say.