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Eyesore set to become luxury hotel
Old Wigan Police Station
ONE of Wigan’s biggest eyesores may become a luxury overnight stay.
The Evening Post can today confirm that Bristol-based Sanguine Hospitality – which operates celebrity chef Marco Pierre White’s francised hotel-restaurants – is bidding to turn the former police HQ into an upmarket, 60-bed hotel.
The ugly, 1970s concrete edifice in Harrogate Street has been boarded up for almost a decade, after GMP decamped to a new base near Robin Park.
Sanguine has a reputation for luxury, boutique-style hotels, and hopes to give the business community a new option of comfort for overnight stays in the town.
It has now formally lodged an application with the council, which is likely to be heard by development committee members early next year.
The site has been the focus of an ongoing development battle since being sold off by the force.
A recent scheme to build apartments became ensnared in a dispute about what percentage of affordable homes the project could sustain commercially.
Sanguine today declined to release artist’s impressions of just how it intends to transform the premises - dubbed the “Stazi” by locals after the grim windowless Secret Service headquarters in the former East Germany.
It also declined to comment ahead of the scheme’s being discussed by councillors in the coming weeks.
But rather than demolish and start and again, bosses are thought to be planning to completely re-clad the existing building to create a new look.
Rare and protected bats were long believed to have colonised the empty building.
But a survey undertaken by wildlife experts on behalf of the hotel group has now cleared the way for re-construction to take place, although it makes recommendations about external lighting so as not to affect the Daubenton’s water bats which use the river Douglas corridor immediately behind as a feeding habitat.
Site owner Goldcrest Properties is backing the application.
Chief Executive Officer Michael Collins believes that it could be a trigger for further redevelopment opportunities for the site if give the green light by the council.
He said: “We still own the site and have been negotiating with Sanguine Hospitality for some time over the future of the building.
“Contracts have been issued between us but have not yet been exchanged.
“They have made the application to the council on a unilateral basis and when they get development approval the deal between Sanguine and Goldcrest will proceed further.
“We are keen to see it succeed because it will bring many much-needed jobs to Wigan and we would see it as a catalyst for further development at the site and in that part of the town centre.”
Sanguine Hospitality was formed in 2006 and now has, it says, an investment portfolio worth more than £120m in the UK alone.
It operates a number of partnership brands, including the prestigious Double Tree by Hilton, Hampton by Hilton and Hotel Indigo hotels brands in Chester, Liverpool, Bristol and the capital.
Sanguine operates five Marco Pierre White restaurants - the nearest to Wigan is in Liverpool - on behalf of White, who became the first and youngest British chef to be awarded three Michelin stars.
It also operates a successful chain of spas and health clubs.
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Friday 25 May 2012
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Comments
There are 24 comments to this article
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rockcottage
Tuesday, December 20, 2011 at 10:45 AMDon't forget the gasometers, Mr Good Guy!.
JemmyH
Sunday, December 18, 2011 at 08:36 PMThey say 'Welcome Break'.??? ....... I can't imagine anyone in their right mind going to Wigan for a 'break'.
jamesjoseph
Sunday, December 18, 2011 at 09:37 AMSorry about that i meant to say much not mush.
jamesjoseph
Sunday, December 18, 2011 at 09:36 AMSurely in this day and age any ideas to kick start the local economy should be welcomed instead of talked down.There is far too mush negativity in wigan.
The Thing
Friday, December 16, 2011 at 06:23 PMThe plans are on the council website. They say 'Welcome Break'. Good point Trelawny, it is fair to assume that a hotel chain knows more about building hotels than the serial moaners on here. But I can't see the Oak Hotel surviving if this opens.
Trelawney
Friday, December 16, 2011 at 02:38 PMI struggle to see why people question the need for another hotel in Wigan of any type. I shouldn't think the hotel chain has gone into this without thorough research into the potential market.... The name should be interesting?? Old Nick's? Will it be of Cell ular construction? ..............As concerns the Old Town Hall, isn't the law regarding Grade Two listed buildings in need of reform?
Scarecrow
Friday, December 16, 2011 at 08:53 AMI wish some of you' anti your own town' brigade would make your minds up. You want something doing with the building but when somebody comes along with a plan to do something, that's wrong.
MicrowaveMan
Thursday, December 15, 2011 at 11:16 PMI don’t know about hotels full of migrants. They will have to open a few for all the indigenous people of this borough losing their jobs whilst the executives and job swappers and other arse lickers move along the trough.
cartmankenny
Thursday, December 15, 2011 at 11:15 PMWhy not just put up a large placard on the building with the legend - "THIS IS WHAT WIGAN COUNCIL ALLOWED TO BE BUILT "
pieman
Thursday, December 15, 2011 at 09:02 PMthe new developers obviously havent looked at the eyesore facing the proposal across the road and the lovely brocol house to the left hand side. no developer in there right might mind will take that on. flatten the lot and throw grass seeds over it all job done!
5:15
Thursday, December 15, 2011 at 08:27 PMvery valid point on No 13................................
finchman
Thursday, December 15, 2011 at 06:48 PMWhilst we are waiting for `pending moderation` this is what i said in a nutshell,... Mr `no more jobs`,I wonder if the hotel will be staffed by hard working `Eastern Europeans` and not lazy`dont want to work`Wiganers?..... Funny how the Eastern Europeans seem to find work is`nt it?
Ferg1985
Thursday, December 15, 2011 at 06:27 PMOh I could not wait for this story to appear on here when I was told about the plans last week. All you ever have on here is people complaining about 'when we will they do something about the town hall? When will they do the something with the police station'... Someone offers to do something to the police station and what do our beloved curtain twitcher brigade do? Why, they moan of course... Never one to let us down.
Coppull
Thursday, December 15, 2011 at 05:52 PMMore like great views of the half bombed out council offices eyesore, with trees growing out the roof. I can imagine now travellers uploaded pics and comments on tripadvisor.
finchman
Thursday, December 15, 2011 at 05:12 PMPending Moderation
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