Walton Hall investment welcomed

PLANS to invest £1.9 million on Walton Hall and Gardens – just three years after proposals to turn it into a private hotel were revealed – have been welcomed by a campaigning group.
Malcolm Eldridge, chair of Friends of Walton Estate, said the group were optimistic about the future of the site. He said members were pleased the hotel plan was not going ahead and that many new members had joined and were eager to play a part in its future.
He said the Warrington Borough Council investment would help renovate most of the buildings and provide some new facilities for the public. He said a group of councillors, officers and representatives of local organisations had accepted many of the ideas of a Heritage Architecture consultant.
Malcolm said: “Work is well under way to provide a much-needed replacement for the coffee shop and planning will soon start to build a new toilet block near the Children’s Zoo, to be followed provision of ground-floor toilets both inside and outside at Walton Hall.”
He said the old Riding School, previously used for storage until the roof partially collapsed, will become a huge indoor multi-purpose space. He said at least one organisation was considering it as a venue for a future staff event.
“As yet unsolved is the future of the Conservatory. This most-loved of buildings in the gardens is in a very poor state but the public demand is such that every effort will be made to restore it to its future glory,” said Malcolm.
“Already some clearing has enabled the public to see its current condition through holes in the surrounding hoardings and as soon as permission is granted to remove the dangerous glass in the roof, the friends will help the rangers to clear the site so that an accurate assessment can be made of how much of the original can be salvaged,” he added.
Full details of the friends can be found on the Facebook page, Friends of Walton Estate or on notices in the rangers’ office.