Plans for 'training hotel' in Moreton Morrell put on hold

Plans for a national training hotel in Warwickshire have been put on hold due to the impact of Covid-19.

WCG (formerly Warwickshire College Group) has plans to transform Moreton Hall at Moreton Morrell College into a 'four-star' training hotel which would allow the building to be fully restored after it was severely damaged by fire in 2008.

Applications to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for the Stage Two funding (£3.8m) closed this month, and the college group needed to have the remaining £3m of funding raised to ensure approval of the Stage Two funding.

The pandemic has meant that organisations are not currently loaning funds and the hospitality and tourism industry has been hard hit regionally and nationally diminishing any prospect of industry support.

WCG has also announced the potential sale of the gatehouse lodge, a residential house at Moreton Morrell College, and some agricultural land.

These potential sales are directly linked to the financial pressures Covid-19 has placed on the College and the significant income loss linked to the College’s commercial enterprises.

The decisions come as financial pressure grows on the Further Education sector, which has been significantly impacted by funding cuts in recent years and the pandemic.

Angela Joyce, CEO of WCG, said: “We are disappointed to have had to make this decision regarding Moreton Hall and we recognise there was a great appetite among our supporters to see the building restored to its former glory.

“Thanks to the support of the National Heritage Lottery Fund we now have detailed plans for the Hall and we hope to implement these plans so that this vision will become a reality at some point in the future.

“From the offset we were looking to the industry to support us in creating this new training facility to support skills development in hospitality and tourism.

“We have also been seeking support from other sources and hope that we may in time be successful through a range of support to resubmit our application to the NHLF with ‘our part’ of the funds already raised.

“Our industry supporters are already telling us that the workforce challenges they faced before the pandemic will reoccur and so the need for Moreton Hall still exists.

“Financial pressure in the College sector has been significant for many years and a global pandemic has made it worse. We will continue to prioritise our students and apprentices; and in order to balance educational objectives while still maintaining a financially stable business, we are taking some tough steps currently.

“By making these difficult decisions we are able to support the long-term future of Moreton Morrell College, and the Government’s skills priorities in a post-Covid and post-Brexit world.

“We will like many others play our role in the future of the UK, which looks to be very different from the recent past.”