Heaton Park Orangery to be overhauled
Closed for more than a decade, plans to refurbish the historic building into a dining and event space are finally in play.
Manchester City Council has submitted plans for the overhaul of Heaton Park Orangery, part of the grade one-listed Heaton Hall, which is currently considered at risk by Historic England.
The proposals will see the building, which dates back to the early 1830s, brought back to life.
New flooring, a full redecoration, new doors, upgraded toilets, and a full overhaul of the electrical and heating systems including a new low carbon air source heat pump are all planned.
These interventions, which would take about five months to complete, would leave a blank canvas for any future occupier, according to the city council.
The city council is working with Manchester and Cheshire Construction on the scheme.
Councillor Lee-Ann Igbon, executive member for vibrant neighbourhoods, said the city council takes its responsibility for the upkeep of the building seriously.
“We know that Heaton Hall is most definitely a jewel in Heaton Park’s crown,” she said.
“We are determined to inject energy and vigour into this beautiful building and in the future work with a partner that will do it justice and bring it back into use as an events space to ensure its long-term future.”
A similar project is taking place in Salford’s Buile Hill Park, where the council is transforming the historic hall of the same name into the new home for its registry division.
Many events would require vehicle access through Heaton Park to the Hall, which is currently restricted to parks staff driving very slowly with flashing lights. All the routes through the Park are packed with walkers during spring/summer weekends, likely also prime event booking time, so possible safety issue.
You would expect weddings to be one of the more frequent bookings, which raises particular issues for revellers getting back and forth the long distance between the Hall and the nearest gate, along the unlit internal roads.
Something needs doing with the Hall, but it isn’t straightforward. It’s also not clear whether a properly thought-out plan is in place, or this is MCC doing mostly unavoidable repairs and hoping something will turn up.
By Smithy Lodge
Why entrust this lot with millions more tax. Payers money when they are guilty of its lack of maintenance.
By Anonymous