Vandalism hit former Bolton care facility to be demolished

Darley Court, in Raphael/Shepherd Cross Street, Halliwell, has been vacant since November 2020 having previously been used as an intermediate care site by Bolton NHS Foundation Trust.

A Bolton Council executive cabinet meeting headed by the new lead for regeneration, Cllr Adele Warren, voted to demolish the building and to put up hoardings or fencing around the site in the meantime.

The building was initially vacated by the NHS “due to the buildings high backlog-maintenance requirements”, according to a council pre-meeting report, meaning it was no longer fit for offering the aftercare service.

Gerry Brough, the borough council’s place director, said in a cabinet member report that the costs to fix these maintenance issues is believed to be in the region of £750,000.

Cllr Warren said: “It was decided to approve the demolition for a number of reasons.The service users were diverted elsewhere because the building wasn’t stable enough to look after people.

“There were many ongoing costs with the building even though it wasn’t being used so the decision was taken to demolish.

“It has been a hotspot for anti-social behaviour for a long time with lots of risks associated with it, leading to costs for the council to secure it which is a cost for the taxpayer at the end of the day.

“Because of these issues and costs it is likely to be demolished as soon as possible, solving the problems of costs and the risks of continued anti-social behaviour which is of benefit to everyone.”

It is not known what will be built on the site yet, with many options possible.

Cllr Warren added: “Once the building is demolished a SAMP (Strategic Asset Management Plan) will be carried out to see what would be best for the site.

“It will depend on what is best for the town and borough as a whole at the time and the residents in the area.

“The needs of the borough are changing all the time so it is too soon to say what may be best for the site after it is demolished.”

The intermediate care services supported the prevention of unnecessary admissions to hospital or long-term care and were moved to Laburnum Lodge and Wilfred Geere when Darley Court was vacated in 2020.

A contractor hired by the council assessed that “a refurbishment of the current building will not be an option going forward” with the council potentially proposing to build a new health facility.

Mr Brough added that the authority had already spent £135,000 on security and response patrols at the location since Darley Court was closed last November.

Another £8,500 has gone on timber boarding and anti-vandal paint and £3,500 on reactive repairs.

Smithills Councillor Roger Hayes said this is not the only council run building that is gathering up these sorts of costs, with there thought to be at least a £20m backlog of maintenance costs from around 30 similar buildings across the borough.

He said: “I asked what other buildings may be building up these costs and it was said there is at least £20m in maintenance costs in other similar buildings which should be addressed.

“It is such a shame what has happened to this site as it was a great facility back in the day. I remember visiting councillor Bob Ronson in there when he was being treated and it was lovely.

“It’s good the services have been moved elsewhere but how it managed to build up a £750,000 backlog is shocking.”

The Bolton News reported in July how debris from the building, opposite St Joseph’s RC Primary, had been left strewn across the grounds by intruders.

Litter pickers had become concerned that some of the old lagged pipes left in the grounds may have been covered in asbestos and presented a health and safety hazard.

Litter picker Gwyneth Bailey said: “I collect litter in the area quite regularly and I’ve noticed debris from the building being left in the area, there’s been chairs, bits of equipment and pipes covered in lagging which could be asbestos.

“I’m worried that any children in the area could pick these items up, and if they do contain asbestos then there’s a huge health risk there.

“The building has been boarded up for a while now but I think teenagers are breaking in and ripping up the inside.

“They’re quite small buildings, hidden by trees, so it would be easy for them to access them and for people not to notice.”

Another dog walker added: “I walk by here everyday and you often see people running around it. There is a lot of glass and litter around which can’t be good.

“It is a bit of an eyesore, especially in the park where there are lots of people, hopefully something good is made of it.”

The demolition is a partnership between the council and Robertson Facilities Management Limited.