Dozens of people packed out an Atherton school hall last night for a public meeting organised by the town’s MP, Chris Green, Atherton Resident’s Association and Councillor Jamie Hodgkinson on the future of Formby Hall.
The meeting was arranged ahead of a public inquiry into Wigan Council’s controversial decision to knock down the well-loved community hub. The public inquiry comes after the MP asked the Secretary of State to ‘call-in’ the decision to demolish the hall.
Local councillors and members of the public stood up during the meeting to speak passionately about their own experiences at Formby Hall and their frustrations at the decision to knock it down and how the building was sold in the first place.
Chris commented:
“To see so many people attend the public meeting shows the strength of feeling amongst everyone that Formby Hall should be saved and preserved for the people of Atherton as it was always intended.
“We’ve now got just under a fortnight to get our objections in to the Secretary of State so that we can show why this hall should be saved.
“This is our last shot to stop Formby Hall from being knocked down and I hope as many people as possible get involved with this public inquiry.”