Hopwood Old Hall moving forward

Hopwood Old Hall could be converted into a restaurant, function suite and small hotel if plans under a new agreement with the Council get the go ahead.

The Council is currently paying an average of £30,000 a year to maintain the building and has recently secured an option agreement with Crewe Developments to facilitate the submission and applications for planning permission and listed building consent for a commercially viable development of the hall and its surroundings.

Hopwood Old Hall is a grade II* listed manorial hall of historic and architectural significance, the hall is in the ownership of the Council, but is wholly contained within the Middleton campus of Hopwood Hall College.

The report to the Council Cabinet reads: “Since 1993, the College and the Council have sought to secure a use for the hall that would facilitate the repair and ongoing management of the hall and its surrounding environment. Proposals have included museum, commercial business premises, hotel and residential uses, but in each case have failed due to the high cost of repair, access problems, financing and changes in market conditions.

“The hall has been marketed via English Heritage’s building at risk register since 1998 and in 2004 Cabinet provided financial support for a feasibility study, to provide detailed and accurate costs for the repair of the building, in order to facilitate commercial development of the hall and fully understand the impact of the conservation deficit.

“Crewe Developments have approached the Council and Hopwood Hall College with a proposal to repair and convert the hall into a restaurant, function suite and small hotel along with providing a new private access along Oaken Bank Road, restoration of formal gardens and the mill pond and improved public rights of way and woodland management.

“The conservation deficit associated with the repair of the hall being met through ‘enabling’ development of residential retirement properties within the grounds of the hall.

“The scale and position of enabling development will be agreed under the terms of the option agreement, be derived in accordance with the English Heritage guidance on enabling development and subject to national and local greenbelt, historic environment and ecology policies. English Heritage has been consulted on a range of options in relation to the repair and conversion of the hall and is supportive of the Council’s approach. This approach has been accepted elsewhere within the Green Belt within the Borough where the scale of any development is the minimum necessary to ensure viable development and the restoration of the listed building.”

The alternative to entering into an option agreement with Crewe Developments, would be for the Council to continue to meet the cost of providing security, power and maintenance and repair of the building, whilst continuing to seek a use for the hall through the commercial property market or as a solution to the property requirements of the Council or partner organisations.