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The spat between the council and a Hollywood actor dividing a community
"Our incredible team of community volunteers who have been 'kicked to the curb' and treated with complete disrespect"
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The ambitious idea to restore Hopwood Hall to its former glory ended in tears for the community - and Historic England are the latest to share their disappointment.
The Grade II* listed hall has become the focus of a spat between Rochdale Council, who own the building, and Hopwood DePree, who was leading on the redevelopment.
The Hollywood actor moved from California to Middleton a decade ago in a bid to restore the ancestral home for which heâs named.
Back in 2017, excitement was building as the council entered into an âexclusivity agreementâ with the American - who vowed to restore the 1420s hall. That exclusivity agreement came to an abrupt end on October 31 last year.
The council said the US-born adopted Middletonian had not made enough progress and wanted to speak to other investors, which the exclusivity agreement prevented.
This came as a shock to Historic England, who have invested £368,000 into the scheme. The government body has been supporting the community-led project and is concerned for the future of the hall now plans have changed.
An aerial view shows Hopwood Hall, the ancestral home of US film producer Hopwood DePree, that dates from the 15th century, which he is in the process of restoring, in Middleton, northern England on November 28, 2022A Historic England spokesperson said: âWe are disappointed to hear of the recent change in plans for Grade II* listed Hopwood Hallâs future. Hopwood Hall is a place of significant historic importance which holds exceptional value for its local community.
âWe are very supportive of the recent progress made at the site by local volunteers. After a long period of decline with no investment or interest in the site, we saw a community group give up their own time to maintain the hall and grounds and drive forward bids for funding.
âOur investment in the hall has always been based on a community-led solution and our expectation is that it will have a sustainable future which celebrates its historical significance and its place within Middletonâs community. We have received confirmation from the local authority that the works covered by our repair grant will be completed.
âWe will follow further developments and consideration of options for its future with close interest.â
Mr DePree has been left flabbergasted by the councilâs move. He believes he has a âlegally binding agreement to purchase Hopwood Hallâ, something the council disputes.
He added that all the work over the last seven years has come at âsignificant personal costâ to him - an estimated £581,000. As things stand, Mr DePreeâs vision for the historic building is in tatters.
(Image: Hopwood DePree)This dream he created instigated a community effort, powered by dozens of local volunteers, to spruce up the hall. Initially work on the gardens and the main exterior of the building was sorted, but there were grander plans in mind, which Mr DePree gained planning permission for in 2022.
The masterplan for Hopwood Hallâs future included an outdoor cinema screen; space for education workshops; a gift shop; a heritage trail; a wedding and events space; and a 25-bedroom hotel. That was in addition to structural restoration; a new access road; and a car park.
Once the exclusivity agreement came to an end, the site was locked off to the volunteers - creating anger and confusion. What was once a harmonious relationship between the council and the local volunteers became sour.
Public meeting at Smalley Memorial Hall in Middleton following confusion over Hopwood Hall situation (Image: LDRS)Middleton residents were âappalledâ when they were told they couldnât access the site. Hundreds of locals flocked to Smalley Memorial Hall for a public meeting on November 20 that saw a number of the âFriends of Hopwood Hallâ group deliver passionate speeches on the situation.
At the public meeting, the volunteers made their case that they wouldnât continue their efforts at the hall without Mr DePree at the helm, despite the council saying they want to keep them in the loop. The campaigners have even started a petition urging the council to reverse their decision.
In response, the council said a number of health and safety breaches led them to close off the site. As the owners of the building, any issues on the site is the town hallâs responsibility.
Moving forward, the council is preparing to start work soon on vital roof repairs on the building at an estimated cost of £600,000. Some £100,000 has been spent by town hall chiefs on a feasibility study to explore how the historic asset can be brought back into use for the benefit of the community.
As for Hopwood DePree, he is currently weighing up a legal challenge, believing he has a contractual option to purchase the hall which he claims to have exercised.
What Hopwood DePree has said⦠Hopwood DePree at the Smalley Memorial Hall public meeting in Middleton. (Image: LDRS)âFor years I have personally funded many efforts that have enabled the Hopwood Hall Estate rescue project to progress.
âThe funds I have spent do not include any of the thousands of hours of my time. Rescuing a derelict building is expensive and requires a huge commitment but I was willing to take on that role as a partner with Rochdale Council.
â'Invest in Rochdale' is their slogan. That is exactly what I did, moving over to Rochdale Borough from the USA, because I trusted the council and believed in the community with all my heart. It is now hard to believe that any council would then turn around and treat us in this way. Wow, what a life lesson this shocking experience has been.
"In my opinion, Rochdale Borough Council is not capable of taking care of Hopwood Hall Estate as evidenced by the complete dereliction they allowed the historic Hall to fall into under their ownership.
âAt this point, I cannot commit to working with Rochdale Council, Rochdale Development Agency or Hopwood Hall College until there is a full investigation into what led us into this situation.
"A top priority for me is our incredible team of community volunteers who have been 'kicked to the curb' and treated with complete disrespect. The volunteers have worked tirelessly to help rescue Hopwood Hall and the detrimental impact this sudden unexplained lock-out has had on their mental health and well-being appears to have been disregarded by those organisations, whose actions run counter to the very community which they are supposed to serve.
âThe volunteers and I are in touch regularly and I will be ensuring that there are activities for the volunteers which we can all enjoy to keep spirits high during this challenging time.â
What the council has said⦠Hopwood Hall pictured after Hopwood DePree joined the project (Image: Hopwood DePree)A spokesperson for Rochdale Borough Council, said: âHopwood Hall is grade II listed manorial hall which is owned by the council and has been out of use for a number of years.
âIn 2017, the council entered into an options agreement with Hopwood DePree which gave him the option to buy the building for a nominal fee if he could produce a commercially viable business model to secure the long term future of the hall, alongside a detailed planning permission.
âAlthough this agreement has been renewed a number of times since 2017, a viable business case and funding strategy has not been forthcoming, and so the councilâs cabinet has made the decision to not renew the options agreement.
âThe council sees Hopwood Hall as a very important part of Middletonâs heritage and wants it to play a key role in the areaâs future. Over the last seven years, to support the restoration of the hall and protect its long term future, the council has funded and commissioned a series of repairs to the building and, alongside other public bodies like Historic England, has invested almost £1.7m into the building.
âAs a council, we have a duty to protect public money and important, council-owned assets like Hopwood Hall, and ensure they have a viable future which will benefit the wider community.
"For that reason, we have commissioned independent financial consultants to assess the business model proposed by Hopwood Productions and they concluded that these proposals would be loss making and unlikely to be able to secure future public or private funding.
âAs Hopwood DePree has not been able to produce a viable proposal, despite having had seven years to do so, and having been given advice and support from the council and Rochdale Development Agency throughout that period, in order to protect the public monies invested to date, we now have a responsibility to explore alternative options."
Coun Neil Emmott, leader of Rochdale Borough Council (Image: Kenny Brown | Manchester Evening News)Leader of Rochdale Borough Council, Coun Neil Emmott, added: âHopwood Hall is a local historic asset which means a great deal to the people of Middleton and indeed the wider borough.
"Something as important as this is about much more than one person, however well-intentioned they may be. Public assets are owned by our residents and we cannot allow them to transfer to a private individual without a great deal of care.
"Mr DePree was asked to meet a number of conditions when we entered into our agreement with him. We would be failing in our duty to protect our historic assets if we didnât hold Mr DePree to the terms of this agreement.
âWe know that many local residents have put their heart and soul into Hopwood Hallâs restoration as volunteers on the project. Weâre very clear that we will continue to involve those volunteers and the wider community in any future plans.â
