An exclusivity agreement between the two ended last autumn – sending shockwaves through the community
Hopwood DePree
A spat between a Hollywood actor and Rochdale council over control of historic Hopwood Hall could go to the High Court.
Hopwood DePree was leading the redevelopment of the Grade II*-listed site until the town hall cut ties with him last year.
Now the man who swapped California for Middleton has said he has ‘no choice’ but to file legal proceedings against the local authority, which owns the site.
The long-running saga began over a decade ago when the American crossed the pond in a bid to restore the ancestral home.
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Excitement was building in 2017 as the council entered into an ‘exclusivity agreement’ with Mr DePree, who vowed to restore the 1420s hall. That exclusivity agreement came to an end on October 31 last year.
Progress made on historic Hopwood Hall despite it being the centre of a HUGE spat(Image: Rochdale Council)
The council said the US-born Middletonian had not made enough progress and wanted to speak to other investors, which the exclusivity agreement prevented.
Mr DePree said he believed he had a ‘legally binding agreement to purchase Hopwood Hall’, which the council disputes.
Once the exclusivity agreement came to an end, the site was locked to volunteers involved in the project. The relationship between the council and the redevelopment team soured.
Hundreds of locals flocked to Smalley Memorial Hall for a public meeting on November 20. Members of the ‘Friends of Hopwood Hall’ group delivered passionate speeches on the unravelling situation.
(Image: Copyright Unknown)
Rochdale council said a number of health and safety breaches led them to close off the site. As the owner, issues on the site are the town hall’s responsibility.
Speaking on the legal challenge, Hopwood DePree said: “Over three months ago, my legal team sent Rochdale council yet another detailed letter setting out our position and Rochdale Council asked for more time to respond.
“Finally, on August 19, 2025 Rochdale council came back to say that they didn’t need to tell us their full position on the agreement but if we didn’t accept that they were right, they would consider legal action against me.
“So after almost 11 months of trying to work with Rochdale council to find a resolution, not to mention them allowing all the community volunteers’ work in the gardens falling back into rack and ruin, and us having eventually obtained some evidence of shocking conduct by the council through FOI (freedom of information) and SAR (subject access request), we were left with no choice but to sue Rochdale council in the High Court of Justice to force them to honour our agreement.”
US film producer Hopwood DePree inspects the interior of Hopwood Hall, his family’s ancestral home which dates from the 15th century, which he is in the process of restoring, in Middleton, northern England on November 28, 2022. – As a child, Hopwood DePree had heard family stories about owning a castle in England but never took them too seriously. That was until he tracked down the 15th century castle with 16 rooms in the countryside near Manchester. In 2017 the American quit California to work full-time on restoring the building — a task that keeps him very busy. – TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY Caroline TAIX (Photo by OLI SCARFF / AFP) / TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY Caroline TAIX (Photo by OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images)
Rochdale declined to offer further comment. A spokesperson for the council previously said: “Hopwood Hall is grade II listed manorial hall which is owned by the council and has been out of use for a number of years.
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“In 2017, the council entered into an options agreement with Hopwood DePree which gave him the option to buy the building for a nominal fee if he could produce a commercially viable business model to secure the long term future of the hall, alongside a detailed planning permission.
“Although this agreement has been renewed a number of times since 2017, a viable business case and funding strategy has not been forthcoming, and so the council’s cabinet has made the decision to not renew the options agreement.
The Grade-II listed Hopwood Hall in Middleton(Image: Rochdale Council)
“The council sees Hopwood Hall as a very important part of Middleton’s heritage and wants it to play a key role in the area’s future. Over the last seven years, to support the restoration of the hall and protect its long term future, the council has funded and commissioned a series of repairs to the building and, alongside other public bodies like Historic England, has invested almost £1.7m into the building.
“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 Rochdale Development Agency throughout that period, in order to protect the public monies invested to date, we now have a responsibility to explore alternative options.”