Rochdale ends descendant’s Hopwood Hall renovation dream
The council has cancelled an exclusivity agreement with Hopwood DePree XIV, claiming the US actor-turned-producer from Los Angeles has failed to produce a viable business case for the building’s future use.
DePree, a descendant of the Hopwood family that owned the hall for 500 years until the early 20th century, has been involved in the renovation of the grade two-listed Rochdale building into an arts, community, and culture hub since 2017 when he was granted an options agreement by the council.
Since then, work to repair the derelict building has been ongoing and documented by DePree in a series of YouTube videos and a book titled Downton Shabby: One American’s Ultimate DIY Adventure.
However, a spokesperson for Rochdale Council, which owns Hopwood Hall, said that DePree had failed to adhere to the terms of the 2017 agreement, and announced it would not be extending it.
The spokesperson said: “As a council, we have a duty to protect public money and important, council-owned assets like Hopwood Hall, and ensure they have a viable future which will benefit the wider community.
“For that reason, we have commissioned independent financial consultants to assess the business model proposed by Hopwood Productions and they concluded that these proposals would be loss-making and unlikely to be able to secure future public or private funding.”
In response to the council’s decision, DePree said he was “extremely surprised” and suggested he may have been “misled”.
“The council has not informed me that any cabinet decision was being sought or had been made; representatives from the council’s Corporate Services Directorate and Legal Department were in contact with our lawyers on 30 and 31 October to say that they were seeking instructions,” DePree said.
“If the cabinet made this decision before these emails, it appears that they have misled us, which is extremely disappointing.”
DePree’s Hopwood Hall option agreement expired on Halloween. He claims that his legal team had attempted to engage with the council on 17 October to seek an extension but that “multiple emails and calls went unanswered”.
“Therefore we served notice to exercise the option to purchase to the council on the afternoon of 29 October,” DePree said.
“At no point since has the council informed us that the option notice is disputed. Under the option agreement, completion of the purchase must take place 20 working days after the notice was served and is legally binding on both parties.”
DePree added that his efforts at Hopwood Hall to date had come at “significant personal cost” and accused the council of being “extremely unprofessional and insensitive” in cancelling the option agreement.
“As far as I am concerned, we have a legally binding agreement for the purchase of Hopwood Hall and this cabinet decision puts the council in breach of contract.”
The council said that DePree had been given ample time to come up with a business case and that around £1.7m of public cash had been spent on the building to date.
“As Hopwood DePree has not been able to produce a viable proposal, despite having had seven years to do so, and having been given advice and support from the council and RDA throughout that period, in order to protect the public monies invested to date, we now have a responsibility to explore alternative options.”
I hope he’s successful in his challenge. He really loves the building and isn’t out to make a quick buck by turning it into flats that any other developer would.
By Watcherzero
What a tragic waste of public money, time and effort, spent on a fantasy of someone desperate to become an English aristocrat; about as tenuous a claim as him making out he’s a Hollywood actor.
The 2019 BBC article reads as if he’s equates his sisuation to a refugee’s. Spare the column inches and find someone else with a miniture violin.
By Charles Emerson Winchester III
Terrible news. Without Hopwood DePree the hall would have fallen down. He has championed its renovation. He formed a highly successful volunteer group that has rescued the overgrown gardens and won multiple Royal Horticultural Society awards. All delays in the renovation have been due to the council, not him. He has sourced and received grants from external bodies, a task which seemed beyond the council. They say his business plan is not good enough, well they have had 7 years to tell him that and now they say it at the last minute. Whatever his plan is it’s better than the councils – they don’t have one and never had, other than let it fall down so they can sell the land! Disgusting.
By Biyd Taylor
Yet they find millions to restore Rochdale Town Hall and new shopping area etc
By Anonymous
Disgraceful Rochdale amateur councillors.
By Anonymous
Out rage, more of Middleton’s heritage being lost. Shame on you RMBC, hang your head in shame😡
By Anonymous
Rochdale council yet again are an utter disgrace! How much was spent on Rochdale town hall ??
By Anonymous
So are the council going to refurbish the building or leave like they have before
By Anonymous
What was the council’s plan before Hopwood DePree came along? Just to let the building fall into further ruin? Hopwood DePree and his team of volunteers have made incredible progress towards preserving history for future generations. I hope the council comes to their senses soon so Hopwood DePree and his volunteers can resume their work.
By Bryan Mecklenburg
“We have a duty to protect..council-owned assets like Hopwood Hall”. This is a laughable comment from a council who let the hall, and neighbouring Tonge Hall, also Grade II* fall into significant disrepair with no viable plan themselves to get the hall off Historic England’s At Risk register, despite claims made to the contrary 14 years ago. The huge risk, time (and personal cost) taken on by Mr De Pree has admirably stabilised and weather-protected Hopwood Hall in record time compared to the failed mismanagement of its assets that the council has demonstrated since it announced it was exploring options to restore the building and bring it back into active use in 2013.
By Planning periscope
Mr DePree the Fourteenth’s apparent outrage that he could possibly be expected to have any business plan by 7 years and £1.7 million of public money into the project suggests RMBC is doing the right thing here, perhaps belatedly.
Was this all a pitch for a Netflix or Amazon series that nobody picked up?
By Hall Monitor
The fact he’s had control of the building for 7 years and still hasn’t got a working building seems highly suspicious if he’s so invested in restoring it.
By Anonymous
What a joke, if Rochdale cared about protecting people monies like they state, they would not of put the white elephant cycle lanes in Castleton. £1.7m is only a small contribution towards restoring Hopwood Hall. All said and done, they do not want to put any money into middleton, only new house who pay to RBC. Middleton councillors need to push for the town.
Hopwood Hall &Tongue Hall would be a perfect educational and heritage sites for the town. Middleton has so much history and it is disgusting its being left to rot.
Mills, Churches, Halls, derelict land, 70s shopping centre and in that time Rochdale have had 3 new one.
They should be ashamed!!
By Anonymous
This is unfair Hopwood has but time, money and passion into this. If the council hadn’t left it for decades it wouldn’t be in such a state today
By Anonymous
Rochdale council put a CPO on the hall when the De La Salle teacher training college closed. Several institutions showed an interest in buying it including the RBS but the council wouldn’t allow it. Instead they let it fall into a severe state of disrepair for many years. Along came DuPree with the good intention of reinstating the building, a major task to jump through all the hoops of its grade II listing and now the Council have seen the opportunity to get rid of him and put their own plans forward. Labour run Rochdale Council are an absolute disgrace.
By Andy Scanlon
My mother maiden name Hopwood my grandfather was a member of the Hopwood family. When I read some time ago Hopwood Hall was to be renovated I found the news so heartening. I thought my grandfather would be pleased. I hope a way forward can be achieved.
By Lorraine Merricks
I wouldn’t trust Rochdale Council to make any sensible decisions given their record
By Anonymous
Just when the Hall is starting to take shape – There’s no substitute for the commitment and current team – are the council prepared to make the same personal commitment?
By Trevor Simpson