Hopes for happyNews end to hotel saga
COUNCIL BID TO HOUSE NATIONAL MUSEUM FOR RUGBY LEAGUE PRESENTED
THE sorry saga of Huddersfield’s much-loved and long-neglected George Hotel is entering its final stages.
Kirklees Council has now presented its bid to bag the National Museum for Rugby League for the town. The charity Rugby League Cares will choose the winner.
If Kirklees is successful the facility will once again be housed within the hotel – famed for being the birthplace of the sport in 1895.
The council, vying with Wigan for the museum, expects a decision within days.
Senior councillor and deputy leader of the council, Peter McBride, was optimistic about a successful conclusion.
He said: “There’s every indication that we will achieve that status. It’s not absolutely nailed on yet but we’ve gone as far as we can to ensure that that might be possible.”
Leading the team presenting the Huddersfield bid is Karl Battersby, the council’s strategic director for economy and infrastructure.
He said the museum was the key to attracting “significant investment” in the Grade II*listed Victorian hotel with “at least part of it coming into operation reasonably quickly”.
Mr Battersby described the George as “iconic”, “much-loved” and “a key focus” of the council’s £250m regeneration plans for Huddersfield.
He said: “When we consult the public and stakeholders and ask them what they would like to see in Huddersfield, the bringing back into life of the George Hotel is always probably in the top three projects that people list.”
Rugby League Cares, the charity in charge of the museum, wanted “a very firm commitment” from the council that it owned and controlled the building that would house it. By acquiring the hotel the council has given that assurance.
Mr Battersby said the combination of acquiring the hotel and a successful museum bid could lead to investment totalling more than £4m from a variety of funding pots.
The nearby Grade II-listed Estate Buildings, on Railway Street, is also set to benefit from the cash.
Mr Battersby said the council expected a decision “if not this week then early next week”.
He said an unsuccessful bid would mean the ground floor and basement of the hotel – currently allocated towards the museum – would be available for conversion works.
He revealed that whilst the council was preparing its so-called Huddersfield Blueprint “a number of people” within the private sector had expressed interest in working with the authority as owner of the George.
“I can’t for commercially confidential reasons say who those people are at this stage.
“But clearly our priority is to get the rugby league museum and also to see the rest of the building redeveloped as well.
“That would very much be a win-win for us.” Referring to the delicate negotiations over the hotel with current owner Dr Altaf Hussain, Council Leader Clr Shabir Pandor said: “While negotiations take place we cannot make things public otherwise we will basically show our cards to the other person who is selling the building. In any negotiation we need to make sure that we get the best deal for the public.”