CROWN THEATRE, ECCLES SET TO RISE FROM THE ASHES

I was contacted by several people over the weekend concerned about the recently installed scaffolding that has been erected outside The Crown Theatre, Church Street, Eccles.

Today I went down and had a look at the building and was fortunate enough to have a chat with the property developers from Integritas Property Group who have taken on the task of completely and sympathetically restoring the long derelict building and converting it into, an 82 apartment block.

A company calling themselves The Lyceum Investors Group purchased the building last year for £1.1M following the collapse of the previous developers, Lyceum Manchester an offshoot of The Goodwin Group who have gone into administration.

So far 40 of the 82 one, two and three bedroom apartments have already been sold to investors, and a further £7M is planned to be spent on the renovation which has a completion date of March 2024.

I was pleased to be told that English Heritage are regular visitors to the site who are ensuring that the Grade 11 listed frontage will not only saved but will be integrated into the finished project with a foyer entrance, the long gone pyramidal roof will be rebuilt and the replacement brickwork will be sympathetic to the original 1889 design.

Personally I am delighted that the project has finally started after this magnificent building has lain empty for the past 20 years and has seen constant acts of vandalism, fires, and other mishaps, and a constant fear that the frontage would collapse onto Church Street causing fatalities.

I am aware that their will be objections to this project, but the alternative would have been a vacant plot of land and the inevitable, bland, faceless high rise built there, surely far better to have a reminder of Eccles heritage preserved in some form?

We will be following with great interest the development of the Lyceum project and hope to make regular visits to the site and chart the progress.