Developers committed to site despite delays

Demolition of the historic hotel, which closed more than a year ago, was completed earlier this year.

And residents were told to expect construction work to begin on the site in the spring.

But the land has remained empty since, leading rumours to circulate in the village that the planned development would not be going ahead.

When work starts, it will be home to a 66-bed residential care home, 45 retirement apartments and a children’s nursery.

Now a spokesman for Macdonald Hotels, who ran Lymm Hotel and will maintain a long term interest in the development project, said: “Like almost every business in the country, our plans have been severely disrupted by the impact of the coronavirus pandemic and while initial attentions have been focused on dealing with day-to-day issues, we remain fully committed to the site and will provide further updates with regards to revised commencement dates in due course.”

The hotel has a rich history in Lymm, playing host to Pele and the Brazil team during the 1966 World Cup and acting as the starting point for village celebrations such as Dickensian Day.

But despite facelifts and relaunches, the hotel began to struggle in recent years, unable to attract enough people to use the facilities.

The land was subject to numerous planning applications over the past decade, including one in the late 2000s for a pool and under ground car park, which was soon scuppered by the credit crunch.

The demolition of the hotel was chronicled in Quest TV's Salvage Hunters.

More than 180 objections to the application were submitted by residents.

At the time of the approval, Lymm’s Liberal Democrat councillors Anna Fradgley and Ian Marks said they were devastated with the decision.

In a joint statement, they added: "We are saddened and very angry that the concerns of over 180 residents have been ignored and the decision has been made by people who don't even live in Lymm, so cannot have direct experience of our worries.

"We think Warrington Borough Council has let us down.

"We want to apologise to future generations of Lymm for demolishing their history.

"The Lymm Hotel may not be an architectural gem but it has a distinct charm and character.

"It has a heritage with links to the old railway and to famous people who have been associated with it.

"The site will be over-developed and the surrounding area will not be able to cope.

"There are major highway safety issues on the nearby roads and parking will be a big problem."