A fresh bid has been launched to save an abandoned historic hall that has fallen into serious disrepair.Grade II* listed Woodbank Hall, is a Georgian villa that was donated to the people of Stockport in the early 20th century, together with its surrounding parkland.
Dating to 1814, it was once home to the industrialist Peter Marsland, and later used as a museum and council offices. But despite its historical importance it has effectively been abandoned since 2009, falling into such a state of disrepair it was added to the Save Britain’s Heritage’s ‘buildings at risk’ register.
And while a developer revealed plans to convert the hall into apartments in 2021, the scheme did not come to fruition. But now the council has launched a fresh bid to find a long-term use for the building, starting with ploughing £250,000 into desperately needed repairs.
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It is hoped this move to ‘arrest the decline’ of the building will attract potential investors and increase the likelihood of funding from sources such as English Heritage. Paul Edgeworth, the council’s property service manager, told a meeting of the authority’s central area committee that apartments were no longer the ‘preferred option’ for the site and the council was starting again with a ‘clean slate’.
However he said finding a sustainable, long-term use for the building remained a significant challenge, noting the need to be ‘sympathetic’ to its heritage and prominent position in the park.
“Heritage constraints are a significant factor, in that we need to protect the heritage of the principal rooms at least, try to maintain some form of public access and not damage the setting in the park,” he said.
Mr Edgeworth added that any scheme would aim to lose the ‘least amount of loss of public land as possible’ while minimising the impact of additional traffic - particularly vehicles moving through the park to the building.
“However, I think it’s fairly plain to see that some compromise will be required,” said.
"We will need to see some significant compromise and a balance struck to secure a suitable future use. I don’t think it’s conceivable to say we could secure use without some intensification of use in terms of traffic transiting through the park.”
Local health and education services currently have no interest in the building, but communications lines will be kept open ‘in the hope something may come up that’s worthy of consideration’.
Mr Edgeworth said the council was in ‘ongoing discussions’ with English Heritage, which had made ‘fairly positive indications one could be forthcoming for Woodbank Hall’. But he added: “This would depend on timing, of course, and more importantly a future sustainable use being identified for the building. In addition to an element of match funding [from the council].
“I think it’s fair to say all funders would require a long-term sustainable use to be identified for the building as all funders would want some sort of a legacy and long-term benefit for their contribution.”
The £250,000 repair works are likely to begin during the summer and will be spent on the most serious disrepair, including the roof, windows and doors. There is also a small area of internal works needed 'where some wood-eating fungus has been identified'.
The council will continue discussions with Stockport Heritage Trust, to explore potential uses for the hall.
John Fidler, of Stockport Heritage Trust, said it welcomed ‘the council’s commitment to spend the previously authorised capital budget of £250,000 on building envelope repairs in 2023’.
“The Trust urges the council to move quickly on this to take benefit of summer weather because any tendering or contract procurement delays will push the works into the next autumn rainy season to the detriment of the building and the budget,” he told the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
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