![\"Doug](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1_Doug-Eastman-outside-the-closed-Hoylake-Town-Hall.jpg\")
Doug Eastman outside the closed Hoylake Town Hall. (Image: Copyright Unknown)<\/p>\nA 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)<\/p>\n
The developer behind a \u00a33.6m cinema project said he is still \u201cworking really hard to get it over the line\u201d five years after it was supposed to be finished. There is still no timeline about when the Beacon will be finished,<\/a> but Hylgar Properties\u2019 David Burke said he was recently in \u201cactive discussions with major cinema operators and key industry partners.\u201d<\/p>\n The Beacon Project promised to transform the town hall in Hoylake<\/a>, Wirral<\/a> into a cinema and arts space, cafes, a fine dining restaurant, and small retail units<\/a>. It received the backing of James Bond actor Daniel Craig<\/a>, got \u00a33.6m from the government, as well as planning approval in 2018.<\/p>\n The project was meant to be delivered alongside a separate scheme of 40 flats behind the town hall <\/a>on Market Street but both projects have hit a number of hurdles. Torus said they expect to finish the flats next year.<\/a><\/p>\n 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<\/a> pandemic and a dispute with Dawnvale Caf\u00e9 Components over a \u00a3631,435 contract.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n The project has had little involvement from Wirral Council<\/a> except for \u00a337,500 awarded for a feasibility study. The council previously said it had investigated this funding and found no issues when responding to concerns from councillors.<\/a><\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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: \u201cWe are in regular contact with those involved in the project and have made it clear to them we expect to make progress on this.\u201d<\/p>\n Hylgar said discussions are still ongoing to move things forward. However a lack of information has allowed theories to run wild on social media<\/a> and five years after it was supposed to be finished, people are questioning whether what was promised will ever be delivered.<\/p>\n Rebecca Greenhalgh, who works in a nearby caf\u00e9, said: \u201cIt\u2019s not good is it? It\u2019s been like that for years now. I think everyone was excited to be honest that something was going to go in there. It\u2019s been empty for years but as long as something is put in there.\u201d<\/p>\n For those out on the street, there was a feeling they\u2019d been given promises that had never been delivered and the public was \u201calways the last to find out.\u201d<\/p>\n Outside the town hall, Doug Eastman, 86, told the ECHO<\/a>: \u201cThere\u2019s a community spirit here in Hoylake and it\u2019s very positive and this would have been the icing on the cake. It makes me very sad.\u201d<\/p>\n Those who have been involved in the project in the past also said they\u2019ve 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.<\/p>\n 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: \u201cIt\u2019s not finished. You can look at it from the outside and see that it\u2019s nowhere near complete.\u201d<\/p>\n He also felt \u201can information vacuum\u201d 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: \u201cThe whole thing seems to be a catalogue of what can go wrong has gone wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s not just the public who say they\u2019re in the dark. Hoylake councillor Andrew Gardner said: \u201cThis is part of the problem, we actually don\u2019t know anything.\u201d<\/p>\n 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\u2019t provide assurances when receiving questions from members of the public.<\/p>\n He told the ECHO<\/a>: \u201cIf they want to come and talk to us to see what we can do going forward, we would be happy to do that. It\u2019s so obscure. It would be nice for somebody to just explain why there is a mystery. They don\u2019t have to tell us the ins and outs.<\/p>\n \u201cSeven 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Cllr Gardner added: \u201cI 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\u2019s better used for something else.\u201d<\/p>\n When asked about people\u2019s concerns, David Burke, director of Hylgar, told the ECHO<\/a>: \u201cWhile 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\u2019s needs and creates meaningful local employment.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is not a remote corporate development. It is a project I have personally invested in for over seven years \u2013 both financially and in time \u2013 because, as a local resident and business, I believe in Hoylake\u2019s 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.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0_Hoylake-Town-Hall.jpg\")
The closed Hoylake Town Hall.(Image: Copyright Unknown)<\/p>\n![\"Cllr](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/1_Guy-Lawrenson-at-the-Seafood-Shack-in-West-Kirby-Wirral-Photo-by-Colin-Lane.jpg\")
Cllr Andrew Gardner (right) said they didn’t know much about the current status of the scheme(Image: Colin Lane\/Liverpool Echo)<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/0_The-Old-Hoylake-Town-Hall-being-turned-into-flats-and-an-Arts-VillagePic-Andrew-Teebay.jpg\")
People told the ECHO they wanted to see the town hall come back into use(Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)<\/p>\n