Landmark hall sold for £1m by council
Last updated 11:25, Tuesday, 06 January 2009
A CHARITABLE trust has bought an adult education centre near Bassenthwaite for £1m.
Cumbria County Council, which acquired Higham Hall in 1955, was formally handing over the keys today to the chairman of Higham Hall College Trust, Gareth Kelly.
The residential adult education college has been sold for £1m, a figure agreed by the county council's cabinet on January 8, 2008.
The Trust has hailed the sale as “a new dawn for Higham Hall” and says it has high hopes of making it a community asset.
A county council spokesman said the price struck a careful balance between the need to maximise the public return on the hall and the need to provide the new Trust with a sound footing to enable the continued development of a business which makes an important contribution to the local economy.
The sale secures the long-term future of Higham Hall as an adult education centre and frees up more cash to invest in frontline council services.
The council first revealed it was planning to sell the property as part of a review of services at a time when it was facing a bill of up to £50million in an equal pay claim.
It commissioned a report which concluded that the sale would free up investment for services and provide the education centre with a platform for further development.
Higham Hall was built by railway pioneer Thomas Hoskins in 1828 and the Grade II listed building, midway between Keswick and Cockermouth, has at various times served as a girls’ school and youth hostel.
It took on its adult education role in 1976, operating on a non-profit basis.
It was costing up to £20,000 a year to maintain to standards expected by adult learners. Over the years Higham Hall was attracted top-notch lecturers and professionals to its range of courses.
Stewart Young, leader of Cumbria County Council and cabinet member responsible for property, said: “This is a deal that has been on the cards for a year, but I'm delighted that it has finally gone through. The £1m has now successfully transferred to the county council so that it can be reinvested in frontline services.
“Under the county council's stewardship Higham Hall has developed into one of the nation’s best adult education colleges, but now is the time for a new chapter and I'm sure it will develop even more successfully under its new owners.”
Gareth Kelly said: “It's a new dawn for Higham Hall. A tremendous effort has gone into securing its future as a charitable educational trust and this status now makes Higham a true community asset which all of us in Cumbria can be very proud of. Our overall vision is to further Higham Hall as a hub for creative enrichment and learning.”
Mr Kelly said that, to achieve this, it was important that local people supported the asset and its wider use.
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