What now for Buxton food hall

I have to admit I got it wrong. I firmly believed that an organisation, like the East Midlands Development Agency, who were so desperate to turn Buxton's Pavilion Gardens into a regional food hall and were prepared to spend £640,000 on a feasibility study to prove project viability would get their own way.

The £8 million project will now not go ahead after emda said they are not convinced the project would be financially viable. The question is did they spend £640,000 to find this out or did they think to hell with it let's spend the dough somewhere else.

Cllr David Lomax, Leader of High Peak Borough Council, said: "I welcome emda coming to an early view on the Food Hall project. There is now a real opportunity to harness the energy and enthusiasm that has been generated within the local community for the existing provision, to help shape and support the future direction of the Gardens.

"It is clear from listening to the local community that the retention of the Octagon as a flexible events and performance space is essential."

"Resolving the investment needed in the complex is a key issue", he added.

"We need to ensure that this important heritage asset is able to be retained and restored and spaces such as the Paxton Suite are made desirable to use. We have had so many offers of help from the community and interest in usage of the building.

"The council will listen to and work with the local community to set the vision for the building and actively involve them where possible in the future management of the site."

Now that is what you call a U-turn. Unfortunately the voters will not forget what was said previously.

Despite emda withdrawing their funding for the project, the development body are still keen to work with High Peak Borough Council to help improve the Pavilion Gardens, including improving the economic use of the building, encouraging greater community and visitor use and improving the quality and presentation of the building.

Cllr Alan Wells, Executive Member for Economic Regeneration, said: "I am delighted to see that emda recognise the importance and potential of the Pavilion Gardens in sustaining and improving the well-being of the local economy.

"Preserving the Octagon for local community and tourism related events will be an essential part of any future plans for the building.

"I am confident that the current wave of support for the activities at the Gardens can be translated into a bright future for the complex and the town as a whole."

Derbyshire County Councillor Robin Baldry, who campaigned against the food hall, said: "This is absolutely fantastic. It is a victory for the people of Buxton. Common sense has prevailed.

"But we must not now sit back. We have won the battle and now we have got to continue with the war. The war is sitting down and coming up with ideas to make it a profitable organisation."

Bill Weston, chair of the food hall opposition group, said:"The people of the town have spoken and fortunately the word has been listened to.

"What we have got to do now is, having saved the buildings from this alternative usage, we have got to go forward and improve the current usage.

"There really have been thousands of people coming forward with support. It has been overwhelming in many respects.

"It was almost like a wartime mentality. People have really pulled together in the town.

"We are delighted but we do know there is a lot of work to be done."

High Peak Borough Councillor Andrew Bingham said: "Emda have now come to realise what many of us in the area knew from the start - that the food hall proposal would not work. It was never going to work. Thankfully they have now seen sense.

"We now need to have a proper open debate about what can be done with the Octagon and the Pavilion Gardens for the future to hopefully turn it back into a profit making opportunity to the benefit of everybody in the High Peak.

"We would like to thank everyone for their support. There were many of us who voted against it and thankfully we have been proved right."

There has been plenty of back slapping here. Officially, the proposed food hall will not go ahead because it is not financially viable not through people power. However, it isn't going ahead so don't f*ck up the opportunity of doing something positive with the building.

Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-03-08 13:16:25

Buxton food hall gets thumbs down

Plans for a regional food hall in Buxton have been shelved after funding for the £8 million project was withdrawn.

The East Midlands Development Agency announced they believed the plans were not financially viable and they would not be funding the scheme.

There will be more on this as the story unfolds.

Chris Sabian, Peak District View - 2007-03-08 02:48:51