Haigh Hall hotel plan given green light

Plans to transform Wigan’s Haigh Hall into a luxury four-star hotel have been given the green light by the town’s council.

The plans, which were first announced in November last year, were given the go-ahead at a planning committee where councillors at Wigan Council agreed to grant planning permission to Contessa Hotels who will restore the grade II listed property.

The plans will see the hall, which will still be owned by Wigan Council and leased to Contessa, turned into a 30-bedroom boutique hotel featuring a spa and fitness centre. A new car park, landscaping and an additional ceremony room located on the roof of the hotel also form part of the plans.

The £6m restoration of the property is part of a larger £12m regeneration for Haigh Woodland Park which will include a new family adventure zone, improved footpaths and heritage trails and a kitchen courtyard within the existing Stables Courtyard.

Back in november, Wigan Council said that they hope Haigh Woodland Park will boost the local economy by £30m and increase visitor numbers to 500,000.

Councillor David Molyneux, deputy leader of Wigan Council, said: “This is a really important step in securing the future of Haigh Hall. As part of the plans, the hall’s original features will be brought back to life and areas that are off limits will be brought back into use.”

He added that the council’s main priority now is to finalise the plans to enable the work to begin as soon as possible.

Craig Baker, director of Contessa, said: “This whole experience has been such an exciting journey to developing a luxury offering to the borough.”

Once the works have been completed, Haigh Hall will be removed from Historic England’s Heritage at Risk register, which aims to protect and manage the historic environment, by reducing the number of ‘at risk’ historic places and sites across England.

In November it was reported that the hotel was expected to open by the end of 2015.