Councillors in Wigan have been given an update on the £50m transformation of the historic Haigh Hall after being warned not to discuss the controversy over how one of the major contractors left the project. Members of the scrutiny committee were told by chair Coun Eunice Smethurst that nothing outside of the contents of the report should mentioned.
A row erupted last month after artists and filmmakers Al Holmes and Al Taylor - known as Al and Al - were told their contract which ended on August 31 would not be renewed. That led to the family of the Wigan-born artist Theodore Major, who had initially agreed to his works being shown at the Grade II-listed building after the renovation was complete, pulling out of the project.
Meanwhile, the 30th Earl of Crawford, whose family seat was Haigh Hall until 1947 when it was bought by Wigan council, also said he was ‘devastated’ by the decision. The progress report was presented to the committee by five members of the team undertaking their revamp, led by Peter Hughes, service lead for culture and events.
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The report said that £20m for the project had come from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund; £4.6m came from the National Lottery Heritage Fund; £85,000 from Arts Council England; £249,000 from Up projects and the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and £24m matched funding from Wigan council’s capital programme. Objectives include creating a ‘regional visitor destination’ offering heritage culture and events, the report said.
It would ‘establish Haigh Hall as a focus for improved cultural engagement for residents’, it went on. Included in the scheme is the repair and restoration of the Plantation Gates, lodges, walls and landscaping and a bid to create a woodland hub and outdoor activity centre along with a nature trail through the ‘lower plantations’.
Councillors were told of a ‘woodland management plan’ but contractors would be needed to deal with invasive plant species, like Japanese knotweed. Dr Sylvia Travers, head of horticulture, said: “The knotweed has been prioritised for removal. We really need to get on top of it.”
Asked whether the council’s own staff could with the problem without using contracts, Dr Travers said: “The only way it can be done is by getting contractors in to excavate it out. It’s an extensive problem. Once we’ve taken most of it away we can focus in-house with less involvement of contractors.”
The report said the external works would be complete by February 2025 and the council was seeking a ‘hospitality partner’ for which tendering would begin in May 2025. The woodland hub and play trail is expected to be complete by November 2025 with the Plantation Gates coming to fruition in January 2026.
The repair and restoration of the Bothy buildings, a contemporary extension into a walled garden and the ‘reorganisation of the Bothy Yard, including the refurbishment of the barn to support education and community activities is expected to be complete in October 2026.
