Westhoughton Town Hall plans back on track after delay

The scheme for the town hall was approved by cabinet member for regeneration Adele Warren last month, but was called in to a scrutiny committee by Lib Dem leader Roger Hayes.

At the scrutiny committee this month, councillors and residents complained of a lack of 'community value' in the plan for the 120-year-old site, which includes a combination of commercial space and office space at ground level, as well as workspaces on the first floor and on the second floor. There is also a restoration to the council chamber, but no work on the library or on Carnegie Hall at this stage.

READ MORE: Farnworth Town Centre Masterplan cutbacks as costs rise.

Lib Dem councillor Garry Veevers said: "We called it in because we think there is more opposition than the report suggests.

"We think a lot of money is being spent on what is a commercial venture with little or no community value."

The plan was referred back to the cabinet member and was rubberstamped by Cllr Warren this week.

She said the decision was an important one in the preservation of the town hall for future generations.

She said: "I understand local people can be passionate in some areas, but it is frustrating because at the minute this is closed. 

"We have to make a building like this sustainable because if it's not sustainable it'll be lost. 

"A lot of the comments at scrutiny committee were somewhat unfounded. They were telling us to listen but we were listening. 

"Sometimes it is good when local people make suggestions, but they have to be realistic and and they have to be sustainable."

The five-week delay was a setback for the scheme, according to Cllr Warren, who said she was relieved to see it back on track.

READ MORE: Horwich Town Centre Masterplan one-way system progresses.

"A five-week delay with inflation can put a project at risk," she said.

At the end of last year, the council started to assess interest in a spot in the town hall among organisations at a local level. There is an intention to assess interest at a national level too.

Those interested at the moment number around 10, and include a cafe, a cinema, a gym and Greater Manchester Police. These are under consideration apart from the gym, whose occupancy is considered unlikely.

This article was written by Jack Tooth. To contact him, email jack.tooth@newsquest.co.uk or follow @JTRTooth on Twitter.