Local Life - Wigan - March 2020

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restrictions of the site.
allotments for local schools to grow produce.’
Group founder Lee Hynes, meanwhile, would like
to see the Hall transformed into a hotel or highend
restaurant. ‘In reality it’s more likely to become
apartments,’ Lee says, ‘but anything will do as long as
it does not fall down. To me the Hall represents the
grandeur and importance of what Wigan once was.’
Winstanley Councillor Paul Kenny commented:
‘Winstanley Hall is very much a treasure that must
be protected and retained. Its deterioration is a
matter of deep concern for many people.
‘I appreciate that decisions on the future
development of the site are difficult and that any
scheme that comes forward must be financially
viable. I also believe that a future planning application
would prove to be extremely controversial given the
Grade II* listing and may deliver objections from
key stakeholders like Historic England. However,
given the public interest I believe now is the time
for Dorbcrest to set out its vision for the Hall in light
of the options appraisal’.
The Council confirmed to Paul that no
pre-application talks have been held
since the options appraisal report was
received by Dorbcrest.
‘The hall has suffered from severe
dilapidation for over 60 years. We have
spent considerable time and money
on stabilising the courtyard and hall to
limit deterioration and recently a new
options appraisal has been completed
in conjunction with Wigan MBC,
Historic England and the wider land
owner Tim Bankes. Within it a number
of restoration options are tabled. The
heritage deficit for these options still
runs into tens of millions of pounds – we are still
working on viable solutions and investigating our
options further.’
With such an illustrious heritage in the Wigan
borough, Winstanley Hall is undoubtedly an integral
piece of local history, albeit one that has fallen out
of the public eye. It would be a tragedy indeed if the
years continue to go by without intervention – and
a great loss to the surrounding community.
A Change.org petition started by Rob Stevenson
is helping to boost awareness and engagement
with the Hall’s future, which already has more than
1,700 signatures. You can sign it here: www.change.
org/p/wigan-council-save-winstanley-hall
Thanks go to David Bancroft Photography for
supplying aerial images.
Urban explorers such as Snake Oil UE and Proj3ct
M4yh3m have documented the Hall’s current state
in a series of photographs and blogs; Google if
you’re interested in seeing some up-to-date images
of the interior.
A spokesperson for Dorbcrest Homes
commented: ‘Since 2003 we have
tried various resolution strategies
and submitted schemes for planning
permission to restore Winstanley Hall
to no avail due to the complexities
of the project and the considerable