Today, an American actor, who has been in a dispute with Rochdale Borough Council regarding his 600-year-old ancestral home, was locked out of the premises.
Hopwood Depree and his dedicated team of volunteers were surprised this morning (Monday, 11th, 2024) to discover that the building they cherished and had been tirelessly working to preserve had been locked up and the locks changed by Rochdale Council. Rochdale Council gave him a "limited licence to occupy" and the option to buy the building.
About £1.7m in grants from the council and heritage bodies like Historic England have been invested in repairs and renovations since 2017.
Planning permission for Mr DePree's scheme was granted in 2022, the same year he wrote Downton Shabby, which chronicled his efforts to revive the manor.
He said he believed he had viable plans for the future of the building, and had been talking to hotel and restaurant firms about his idea of running hospitality skills training there.
But he was shocked to discover that, at a meeting held behind closed doors last week, the council had decided to back out of the arrangement. In the 1900s, Rochdale council acknowledged openly that they lacked the financial means to sustain the building and preserve it, leading to its deterioration and subsequent inclusion on the heritage at risk register. Today, Rochdale council has taken back the building and its land through force, now safeguarded by tall security fencing and ancient 600-year-old walls. The interior of the building has once again been neglected and is deteriorating under the responsibility of Rochdale council. The people of Middleton are incredulous as they watch history unfold once more, seeing the building slowly falling into disrepair. Some are lamenting that it would be a travesty to let this building come back under the complete control of the council.
Rochdale Borough Council said it had agreed to sell the building to Mr DePree for a "nominal fee" if he could come up with a viable business plan, and had renewed and extended the agreement several times. Today, Rochdale council has been using a copy-and-paste approach to share a statement with everyone who has commented on Mr. Depree's Facebook page. "As building owner, the council is able to terminate a licence to occupy with immediate effect if the occupant is found to have been in breach of the licence conditions.
In this case, the occupier has been in breach of some health and safety regulations. We have contacted the applicant on at least three occasions to give them the opportunity to rectify these issues, but they have still not been resolved. For that reason, we have terminated the licence and taken back occupation of the building to ensure the safety of the licensee and any visitors to the hall." It appears that Rochdale council is having difficulty maintaining a consistent narrative, as each time they are questioned or probed, their response varies. Now, people are wondering whether the issue is related to health and safety or due to the absence of a "viable" business plan. Mr. Depree has been transparent about the future of the building, documenting all the ongoing work to preserve the building and prepare it for the next project stages. He was eager to share his plans with us. He has openly stated that this is not just about saving his ancestral home, but it is also about preserving an important part of Middleton that the community cherishes and can utilize in the future.
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