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Cottage pushing up the daisies
Reporter: JANICE BARKER
Date online: 23 August 2010
Crime Lake tea room plan ‘dead in the water’
AN historic Daisy Nook cottage which was vandalised and left to rot is being handed back to the National Trust.
In 2001, Oldham Council took on a lease for Hencote Cottage at Crime Lake, which included maintaining it and its grounds.
But the property, which was built in the 1800s and is a listed building owned by the trust, has been unoccupied and neglected for 10 years.
It suffered repeated vandalism and by last year the doors and windows were smashed and roof stripped.
For 45 years until 1999, it was lived in by the Tucker family including the late Charles Tucker, a former Failsworth councillor and the trust’s Daisy Nook park warden, who died in 1994.
It was also a tea room, craft centre and trust information point.
Oldham Council’s plans to use the empty cottage as a visitor centre for people with learning difficulties were at odds with the trust’s rule that it must be used as a home.
Though a council worker lived in the cottage for a short time, it stayed empty for years. The trust threatened to carry out the work and pass the bill to the council last year.
Now the council has decided to negotiate with the trust, carry out its own repairs and surrender the lease. The money will come from the council’s £6million asset management fund.
Cabinet member for regeneration, Councillor John McCann, said: “The National Trust wanted it to be residential but we don’t have a residential use for it. We have no need for it.
“We have agreed in negotiations with the National Trust to repair it, and hope it will revert back to them and save money on leasing costs.”
But Labour leader and Failsworth Councillor Jim McMahon, is disappointed. He said: “This could have been a fantastic community facility but rather than putting energy into the project the council thinks it better to spend thousands of pounds repairing the building only for it to be transferred back to the National Trust.”
Comments
Yet another stunning exapmple of the council wasting ratepayers money, how do I vote those council officials out of their jobs? Answer simpple - we can't because we don't live in a democracy!
If this was the private sector someone would lose their job or be disciplined at the very least, but then the private sector would never have taken the thing on in the first place!
This is typical of the trust this building could have been brought back into use many years ago if they could only think out side the box. Jim is right in what he says but let’s not forget you had the opportunity as well over several years to resolve this issue and did nothing. shame on you all
Jim Mahons repsonse just goes to illustrate the problem Oldham has with councillors aho either don't want to listen or cannot understand even the most basic concept.
The Trust has a condition which states that it can only be used as a residential purposes, how does a 'community facility' fulfil that condition.
I can just imagine the amount he'd like to spend, only to have it never used.
It really is staggering when councillors can open their mouths and put both feet in.
RESIDENTIAL USE ONLY !
With the council house waiting list being as it is why hasnt this lovely cottage been renovated and rented out? would that idea be just too easy for Oldham Council. !!!!
for years i have watched this building decay with great sadness as id love to live in it,why dont the trust do it up and rent it out for residential purposes or it will end up just like the cottage next to the top lock on the branch canal....destroyed by vandals
Another 'community facility' McMahon wants to get his mitts on! He likes trotting out the same old platitudes doesn't he? Remember the old CAB on Ashton Rd W? In March 2007 following £11k of funding secured by McMahon to restore the building, I quote "A disused building in Failsworth will be transformed into a community facility..Community groups will be able to use the meeting rooms.." 3 yrs and £11k later can comm. groups get in? No! (Apart from the Hist. Soc. he is Co-founder of that is.)
And the waste of Oldham continues....
Have Your Say
Another resounding success for OMBC, although you haven't explained why it is 'historic'.
By Ididsaythat! @ 23/08/2010 12:40:53