Walton Hall: campaigners' new allegations

CAMPAIGNERS fighting the controversial plans to re-develop Warrington’s Walton Hall and Gardens as a hotel and conference centre have made new allegations.
They claim if the proposals go ahead on the lines suggested by the borough council, half the gardens and all the buildings on the estate would be handed over to hotel group Contessa – and that the company would be granted a 150-year lease on the property.
For the first 25 years they would pay a peppercorn rent of £1-a-year.
Members of the Save Walton Gardens Campaign say they are “speechless.”
They are particularly concerned at one clause in the proposed development agreement which appears to show that if Contessa failed to complete the project, the borough council would pay them for everything they had invested up to that point.
The group say: “Contessa are entering this at absolutely no financial risk at all.
“They are not paying for the buildings or the land and if they decide to pull out at any stage, Warrington Borough Council will pay to them what they have spent.”
The campaigners have made their new claims on the eve of a special meeting of the borough council’s environment and housing overview and scrutiny committee when members will consider a “call in” of the proposals by Coun Terry O’Neill, leader of the Labour group on the council.
He claims there has been a lack of or inappropriate consultation, that the decision to press on with the project has not been taken with a sufficient degree of openness, that the decision lacks clarity of aims and desired outcomes and because of a lack of alternative options.
The council says its draft master plan for Walton is the basis for public consultation. It has announced plans to set up a review group, including representatives of opponents of the scheme, to study the matter further.