A developer behind the transformation of a town hall said they’re “working really hard to get it over the line”
Doug Eastman outside the closed Hoylake Town Hall. (Image: Copyright Unknown)
The developer behind a £3.6m cinema project said he is still “working really hard to get it over the line” five years after it was supposed to be finished. There is still no timeline about when the Beacon will be finished, but Hylgar Properties’ David Burke said he was recently in “active discussions with major cinema operators and key industry partners.”
The Beacon Project promised to transform the town hall in Hoylake, Wirral into a cinema and arts space, cafes, a fine dining restaurant, and small retail units. It received the backing of James Bond actor Daniel Craig, got £3.6m from the government, as well as planning approval in 2018.
The project was meant to be delivered alongside a separate scheme of 40 flats behind the town hall on Market Street but both projects have hit a number of hurdles. Torus said they expect to finish the flats next year.
The town hall project delivered by Hylgar Properties was originally meant to be delivered by 2020 but the town hall remains quiet. Issues facing the project included the economic impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and a dispute with Dawnvale Café Components over a £631,435 contract.
Mike Burke, one of the company directors, also died of a heart attack in 2021 and the company is now run by his son David.
The project has had little involvement from Wirral Council except for £37,500 awarded for a feasibility study. The council previously said it had investigated this funding and found no issues when responding to concerns from councillors.
The money for this feasibility study was eventually handed over to Lucky Penny Group to develop a food and drinks offer. The company was struck off in 2024.
Few answers have come from the government too with Freedom of Information requests refused on commercial grounds. A Ministry of Housing, Communities, and Local Government spokesperson said: “We are in regular contact with those involved in the project and have made it clear to them we expect to make progress on this.”
The closed Hoylake Town Hall.(Image: Copyright Unknown)
Hylgar said discussions are still ongoing to move things forward. However a lack of information has allowed theories to run wild on social media and five years after it was supposed to be finished, people are questioning whether what was promised will ever be delivered.
Rebecca Greenhalgh, who works in a nearby café, said: “It’s not good is it? It’s been like that for years now. I think everyone was excited to be honest that something was going to go in there. It’s been empty for years but as long as something is put in there.”
For those out on the street, there was a feeling they’d been given promises that had never been delivered and the public was “always the last to find out.”
Outside the town hall, Doug Eastman, 86, told the ECHO: “There’s a community spirit here in Hoylake and it’s very positive and this would have been the icing on the cake. It makes me very sad.”
Those who have been involved in the project in the past also said they’ve struggled to get answers. Julian Priest was previously a director of community interest company Hoylake Village Life that was linked to the Beacon Project in its early stages.
He said once the project got going, they got no further updates. Reflecting on the last time he was in the building in 2022, he said: “It’s not finished. You can look at it from the outside and see that it’s nowhere near complete.”
He also felt “an information vacuum” had been filled with what he said were untruths. Referring to the difficulties faced by Torus building flats next door to the project, he said: “The whole thing seems to be a catalogue of what can go wrong has gone wrong.”
Cllr Andrew Gardner (right) said they didn’t know much about the current status of the scheme(Image: Colin Lane/Liverpool Echo)
It’s not just the public who say they’re in the dark. Hoylake councillor Andrew Gardner said: “This is part of the problem, we actually don’t know anything.”
He said they had been unable to get any information on the project. While he understands there may be commercial issues, he said their own lack of knowledge meant they couldn’t provide assurances when receiving questions from members of the public.
He told the ECHO: “If they want to come and talk to us to see what we can do going forward, we would be happy to do that. It’s so obscure. It would be nice for somebody to just explain why there is a mystery. They don’t have to tell us the ins and outs.
“Seven years into the project, I think the public need and deserve an explanation especially when council tax and income tax is going up. This is why the government needs to be transparent and accountable.”
Cllr Gardner added: “I think what we want is the building coming back into full use whatever that might be. It might be the cinema and fine dining restaurant though that ship might have sailed. The world has changed. It might now be that it’s better used for something else.”
People told the ECHO they wanted to see the town hall come back into use(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)
When asked about people’s concerns, David Burke, director of Hylgar, told the ECHO: “While delays to the Beacon Project have understandably caused frustration, I remain fully committed to bringing the former town hall back into use in a way that reflects Hoylake’s needs and creates meaningful local employment.
“This is not a remote corporate development. It is a project I have personally invested in for over seven years – both financially and in time – because, as a local resident and business, I believe in Hoylake’s potential and in the people who want to see it thrive as a beautiful and successful place to live. We need to look forward to building a town that works for generations to come.”
Speaking to the ECHO, he said: “We bought this building in 1996 or 1997 when it had been derelict for years. We bought it as a burned out shell and converted it once.
“It’s been in my life since I was 12. It’s been our sole focus as a company. I see myself as a member of the community in Hoylake.
“Doing any major project, you pour your heart and soul into it. It takes a lot of energy and a lot of positivity because it’s difficult and you need to keep the end result in sight. There is a lot of positivity in Hoylake, good people working hard on making it a great place to live.”
He added: “If I hadn’t been bothered about the community or the project, I would have walked away years ago. I have been working really hard to get it over the line.”
“It has been difficult and it has been hurtful at times when you have worked so hard and it’s something that is actually for the benefit of the community. The aim is to help Hoylake to become more prosperous, generate more business, and footfall.
“We are at all times in contact with the government and doing everything that is required of us. I am focused on the future and getting this scheme delivered.”
He said since the project began, he had faced a number of challenges from the pandemic and its impact on industries in construction, film, and hospitality, adding: “The Beacon has been subject to complex legal and contractual processes involving Government departments, contractors, and prospective operators.
“These are a normal part of delivering a regeneration project of this scale, but they have limited the information we could share publicly. This careful approach has been essential to protect the project’s viability and ensure it can progress on a stable footing.
“I have continued active discussions with major cinema operators and key industry partners, across the UK and internationally, including as recently as last month. I’ve also remained in regular contact with Government departments, navigating years of restructures, shifting personnel, and contractual complexities, in order to explore ways to adapt the project to ensure it remains sustainable and delivers lasting local benefit.
“For clarity, direct correspondence from the Conservative Ward Councillors only began in recent weeks, following several years of no engagement and public opposition to the project. While I welcome constructive dialogue at any stage, my focus remains on finalising the next phase, bringing jobs, footfall, and opportunity back into the heart of Hoylake, and delivering a space that reflects the town’s character, pride, and ambition.”