Councillor says Piece Hall plan needs injection of enthusiasm

Councillor Ian Cooper, who represents Todmorden for the Conservatives, hit out as the council announced plans to appoint a consultant to raise money to help restore the grade I listed building which is considered by the Heritage Lottery Fund as the most important building in Yorkshire after York Minster.

Detailed plans to turn the down-at-heel building into a “Milan of the North” complete with Mediterranean-style piazza are expected to cost more than £17m while surrounding shops would be dramatically restored.

Fears have been growing that the council’s most important current project has recently become bogged down and that the project needs to more energy.

The council had been relying on the regional development agency, Yorkshire Forward, to provide significant funding but the organisation is due to close next year.

The council’s economy and environment spokesman, Barry Collins, has admitted that the council is at “a crucial stage and we must step up the pace”.

Coun Cooper, who as portfolio holder in the previous Conservative administration was intimately involved in the project, said: “Unfortunately on the face of it, it appears that this new (Labour/Lib Dem) administration has taken its foot off the pedal.

“The Heritage Lottery Fund is looking for ‘demonstrable progress’ and I am looking in to what has gone wrong. It seems to have come off the tracks and I don’t know why.

“It’s a substantial investment and the Lottery Fund have every right to expect the highest level of commitment from Calderdale and there are suggestions that we need to re-focus.

“I know when I was involved I was on top of things, it was one of my major projects.”

But council leader Janet Battye (Lib Dem Calder) retorted: “It’s interesting that the Conservatives are talking about the Piece Hall.

“When we picked up the Piece Hall plans we found they were only partially developed and some of the funding that they had appeared to have identified had not been fully secured.

“So when we picked it up last year they had got through round one but there was still an enormous amount of work to be done.

“The Piece Hall is a stunning, iconic building – a world heritage building – and we are totally committed to it.

“It’s all very well for Coun Cooper being critical on work that we are doing but he needs to consider what we picked up from his administration and the enormous amount of work that we have had to do to bring these plans to reality.

“I think it is important that Calderdale councillors pull together and fully support what we are doing.

“We have a strategic board that meets monthly and we are going out to public consultation next month when the public will have a chance to comment on the detailed design work.”

A fundraising consultant, Rory Wardroper – a key figure in finding backing for Opera North – has been appointed by Calderdale to attract more cash for the restoration.

The Piece Hall proposals are scheduled to go on public display around the borough from September 9 until October 7 at several locations – including the Piece Hall itself.

The final submission of plans to the Lottery Fund must be made by March next year – and the council must show by then that the proposals are financially viable.

It also needs to show there is widespread public backing for the plans – and replacing the cobbled courtyard with a piazza may prove controversial.

The council should find out whether its final Lottery bid is successful by July next year with the possibility of construction work beginning in October 2013.