£1.8m cost of buying hotel for RL museum
COUNCIL REVEALS PRICE AFTER DRAWN-OUT NEGOTIATIONS
KIRKLEES Council paid £1.8m to buy Huddersfield’s landmark George Hotel.
The authority has finally made the purchase price known, signalling an end to negotiations with dentist-cum-entrepreneur Dr Altaf Hussain over its future.
He has officially handed over the keys - and doubled his money.
Dr Hussain bought the hotel for around £900,000 in April 2013. However the council did not meet the £3m price tag he asked after putting it back on the market in December 2015.
The deal means the building is now in the possession of the council and on track to be fully refurbished as the home of the first National Rugby League Museum.
The George was the birthplace of Rugby League in 1895.
Reaction to the news has been swift.
Clr Peter McBride, the council’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration, described the deal as “a massive moment for the town, our regeneration plans and for rugby league.”
He said the National Rugby League Museum will be “a real centre-piece” for the council’s £250m Huddersfield Blueprint regeneration plan.
He added: “There is no better building for the museum to be based in and, now it’s officially in our ownership, we cannot wait to get work started and open its doors to the public once again.”
His colleague Clr Naheed Mather, the council’s Cabinet member for Greener Kirklees, said: “Work will now begin to create a national Rugby League museum in the building, something I’m sure local people and rugby league fans alike can’t wait to visit.”
The council has revealed that it has secured £1.4m in funding from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government to carry out the first phase of renovation works on the 1850s building.
Other funding bids have also been submitted to help fund the project, which could push the total available for renovation even higher.
As well as hosting the museum, which will be run by the charity Rugby League Cares, the George is being considered for a number of other options including a hotel, bar/restaurant or office space.
Kirklees is one of the hosts of 2021 Rugby League World Cup. The tournament begins in October next year, with the Men’s Quarter Final being played at Huddersfield’s John Smith’s Stadium.
Deputy Leader of the Conservative group on Kirklees Council, Clr John Taylor, said the purchase of the George Hotel by the local authority was a way of securing the future of an iconic building in the centre of the town.
He commented: “Whilst I am pleased that this building has been secured and the Rugby League Museum can return to its home, I will be interested to see how the rest of the building is developed.
“Purchasing a building of this character without a long-term plan for its use already developed is a risk.
“Whilst rescuing the George was the right thing to do, we need to see swift action to bring the entire building back into commercial use and I am not sure the council is best placed to do that. “I will watch developments with interest.”
The news was also welcomed by the Greens’ Clr Andrew Cooper, whose Newsome ward includes Huddersfield town centre.
He commented: “It’s important that the council gained ownership of the George Hotel.
“If it had gone into the hands of yet another private speculator it could have been empty, undeveloped and deteriorating further for many more years.”