Sale of Buxton town hall is an 'extraordinary lack of vision’ says local architect
Buxton Town Hall has been up for sale and the former chair of Vision Buxton has slammed the council for their ‘extraordinary lack of vision’.
Local architect Roddie Maclean, who has long championed the town through his leadership of Vision Buxton, says the town hall is ‘hugely significant’.
Speaking to the Buxton Advertiser he said: “The Town Hall is a hugely significant landmark in the town, in a pivotal position, and deserves to be publicly accessible and used to its maximum potential for the benefit of the town.
“That is what it was built for. The Borough Council proposals show an extraordinary lack of vision.”
Roddie shared with The Advertiser pictures of what the Ballroom at Buxton Town Hall looks like today, above the 1970’s suspended ceiling.
“Rather than seeing an opportunity to bring this great space back to life as a resource for the town, High Peak Borough Council is proposing that it should be sold off and carved up into six flats.
“The Council has had an approach from the community to endorse the idea of a Community Asset Transfer.
“This would see the whole building transformed into a vibrant cultural hub for Buxton and the wider area – or, at very least, allow the opportunity to be properly and rigorously considered. Instead of grabbing this chance for a very positive outcome for the town, High Peak has pre-emptively appointed agents Lambert Smith Hampton to market the building.”
Roddie says the sale particulars fail to mention that the Town Hall is listed Grade II and include a set of plans purporting to show a ‘potential redevelopment’to create 29 flats.
He said: “These would involve cutting up the Ballroom and other significant rooms, destroying the decorative plaster vaulted ceiling of the original Council Chamber which also exists above a suspended ceiling and adding rooflights and dormers.
“If it was a commercial developer’s scheme you would say it stands no chance of being approved, but HPBC would be doing the approving, which raises issues in itself.”
There must also be question, Roddie says, about how acceptable it is to sell off the public car parking at the top of the Slopes, which is included in the sale, and how the removal of
the only public toilets on the Market Place will be received.
He added: “With the forthcoming demise of High Peak Borough Council under the reorganisation of Local Government you really would think they would want to leave a worthwhile legacy - which a Buxton run, community and cultural hub could be - rather than a block of flats.
“Come on High Peak Borough Council – show us you have some vision for our town.”
High Peak Borough Council says it has been considering the sale of Buxton Town Hall for a while as the building is no longer fit for purpose for the needs of the local authority.
Estate agents Lambert Smith Hampton are selling the building for HPBC which has 29,687 sq ft and is on 0.981 acres - the price available on application.