Member Article

New hotel in Wigan to boost local economy by £30 million

A £12 million plan to transform Haigh Hall and Country Park into one of the region’s top tourist destinations has been unveiled.

The new ‘Haigh Woodland Park,’ which will include a £6 million restoration of the Grade II listed hall into a four-star boutique hotel, will boost the local economy by £30 million and increase visitor numbers to 500,000 per year.

Wigan Council will also invest around £4 million in infrastructure improvements and new attractions within the 250 acres of woodland surrounding the hall, with phase one of the plans expected to be completed within 18 months.

The deal will also reduce the maintenance burden for Wigan Borough taxpayers by £8 million over the next decade.

Investment for the hall itself will come directly from Contessa Hotels.

Wigan Council will remain as owners and landlords of Haigh Hall and the agreement has safeguards in it that protect the interests of local residents.

Deputy leader of Wigan Council and cabinet member for the economy, Cllr David Molyneux, said: “Today is probably the most exciting day since the council bought the hall almost 70 years ago.

“The plans we have unveiled will put Haigh on the list of the top visitor attractions in the North West, creating jobs and restoring the hall for future generations to enjoy.

“We are delighted to be working in partnership with a top quality organisation such as Contessa, they have a great track record of lovingly restoring buildings such as Haigh Hall and we’re excited about what they have planned.”

Director of Contessa Hotels, Craig Baker said: “We are delighted to be part of such an engaging and unique project as Haigh Woodland Park.

“The building is steeped in history and we are excited about restoring Haigh Hall and transforming it back to its very finest, truly opening the doors to its adoring public 365 days a year.

“Haigh Hall is such an iconic structure in the region and we look forward to introducing the Hall to our Contessa portfolio.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Sophia Taha .