Crescent opening is delayed until 2016

A project to transform Buxton’s magnificent Crescent into a spa hotel is progressing well, but the date for opening has been delayed to 2016, developer Trevor Osborne has said this week.
The Crescent BuxtonThe Crescent Buxton
The Crescent Buxton

The five-star, 79-bedroom spa hotel was due to open next year, but this has now been pushed back. But, now Derbyshire County Council have stepped in to offer the developers a multi-million pound loan if needed, and an interior designer has been appointed, the project is progressing well, and tenders will go out for contractors for the main part of the work in April.

“It’s going well, we’re very pleased,” said Mr Osborne.

“Once we get the tenders back the partners - Derbyshire County Council, High Peak Borough Council, ourselves, English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund - will get together to move things forward. It’s been a long time and we just want to get this built.”

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He added: “We’ll be starting after summer, depending on when the tenders come back. We’ve got to be careful about when we do start because if we do get the Buxton weather it could hold things up. We’ve got to discuss it with the winning contractor so that they can be working inside the building during winter.

“We want things finished ready to open in 2016. We can’t put an exact date on it yet but as a member of the Buxton Festival board I’d be very keen to see the festival being celebrated there.”

Responding to criticism about the county council’s loan funding, Mr Osborne said: “This project is so important to Buxton so to those people saying the council shouldn’t have got involved I’d say this is good for Buxton, it will do so much good and bring additional money into the town. Buxton can take its rightful place as capital of the Peak.”

Once complete, the transformation of the Grade I Listed building and adjoining Grade II Listed Natural Baths and Pump Room will provide not only a five star hotel, but also a new visitor interpretation centre; a state-of-the art thermal, natural mineral water spa and seven specialist shops.

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No-one has yet been selected to occupy the shops, but local traders will be favoured.

“We have a list of people who want to open in the Colonnade to the Crescent,” Mr Osborne added. “We’re favouring local traders rather than national traders. Buxton’s character is wonderful with so many individual traders and shops and we want to acknowledge that.”

And in a message to locals, he said: “You’ve waited a long time but the wait is nearly over and you’re going to have a wonderful building back again.”