Hoylake Lifeboat Station museum campaigners dealt fresh blow

Nov 24 2010 by Lorna Hughes, Birkenhead News

Fresh blow for campaigners’ hopes of turning former Hoylake Lifeboat Station into a museum

CAMPAIGNERS bidding to turn Hoylake’s former lifeboat station into a museum have been dealt a fresh blow.

Last week Wirral Council approved the sale of the car park it owns adjoining the building.

Lifeboat station owner Peel Ports wants to sell the building, ending hopes the company would make it available on a nominal “peppercorn” rent.

A buyer – believed to be a carpet firm – was lined up for the car park and the lifeboat station but the decision was delayed for three months to allow further discussions with Peel.

In a letter to acting council chief executive Jim Wilkie, the company said it needed the money from the building to drive forward other projects.

The council said the museum plan, led by Caldy businessman and lifeboat enthusiast John Parr, is not viable unless the lifeboat station is secured.

Mr Parr is now trying to raise money to buy the building and believes £75,000 would be enough.

He told the News: “We’re at a critical point and going to have to put our hands in our pockets to raise the money pretty quickly.

“I have no argument with the people who want to buy it but I think setting up this museum would have enormous benefits for Hoylake and mark 207 years of lifeboat history.”

Peel Ports met with Mr Parr and the council’s head of asset management in August, when it confirmed that the building would not be made available at a peppercorn rent.