Wigan's Haigh Hall secures £20m in Levelling Up cash for a major makeover

Haigh Hall has been chosen to be awarded funding from the Government Levelling Up department’s £594m prize pot to restore local heritage sites.

Wigan Council will use the grant to restore the Grade II listed building and its surroundings to their “former glory”. The local authority hopes it will make the site an even more popular destination for culture, community, events and hospitality.

The current hall, which was built around 1840, stands as an iconic building amid the picturesque surroundings of Haigh Woodland Park.

In recent years it has played a role on the small screen, popping up as a location in popular Sky comedy-drama Brassic. According to the Wigan Council plans, a new world class dining experience, an underground bunker cinema, an art gallery for local artist Theodore Major’s “visionary work”, and a rooftop terrace for astronomy are all set to become a reality.

In addition to the “five-floor masterplan” to restore the hall itself, the derelict gateway lodges are set for a revamp.

With the cinema room being used for special exhibitions and a children’s matinee on weekends, it is unlikely to be showing all the latest blockbusters. However, it will be part of a multi-platform experience provided by Haigh Hall.

The long abandoned zoo will also be transformed into a new visitors attraction and learning centre. The new “multi-purpose garden pavilion” and education and training hubs will provide more activity space.

The former zoo closed in the 1990s and, but for a brief stint as a model village, that section of the park has been vacant ever since.

This £20m comes with a pledge of £11.5m of match funding from Wigan Council’s budget as well as a separate bid of £4m from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Leader of Wigan Council David Molyneux said: “We are delighted to have received the full amount of £20m for our Wigan bid, with Haigh Hall as its focal point.

“It marks a significant milestone on our journey and commitment to restore Haigh Hall and create an arts, culture and heritage destination of national significance. We are grateful to the many residents who helped us develop our plan through our engagement events last year and we are delighted that the council's plan and investment has been supported in this way.

“We know how proud our residents are of Haigh Hall and Haigh Woodland Park and its close connection to our borough’s past and future. We are sure everyone will share our excitement with this news.

“These funds will supplement the recent commitment from Wigan Council to match fund (£2m) the £3.78m grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for the site.

“Although we are relieved to have received confirmation of the funding for Haigh Hall, our concerns about the LUF system remain, and we would continue to urge the government to find a more appropriate way to deliver the investment local areas like ours deserve without expensive competitive bidding processes.”

A total of 111 areas have been awarded funding from the second of the government’s flagship Levelling Up Fund, providing greater investment in communities that will create new jobs, drive economic growth, help restore people’s pride in the places where they live, and spread opportunity more equally. Secretaries of State will be visiting winning projects across the UK to see how local leaders will deliver.

Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove said: “We are firing the starting gun on more than a hundred transformational projects in every corner of the UK that will revitalise communities that have historically been overlooked but are bursting with potential. This new funding will create jobs, drive economic growth, and help to restore local pride.

“We are delivering on the people’s priorities, levelling up across the UK to ensure that no matter where you are from, you can go as far as your talents will take you.”

Back in August, Wigan Council also put forward bids for Wigan, Leigh and Ashton town centres, with the hope of securing funding from the government to transform each area. However, these bids have not been successful this time around.

The Government has also confirmed there will be a further round of the Levelling Up Fund, providing more opportunity to level up places across the UK.