Tapton House
Cllr Paul Holmes, Leader of Chesterfield Lib Dems responds to the news that Tapton House is to be advertised for sale or rent
We were very surprised to see the Council's sudden announcement that they were putting Tapton House up for sale.
This fine Georgian House and its grounds were given to the people of Chesterfield and is an asset we should keep. Especially as Chesterfield is not over endowed with such fine historic buildings.
We have raised the issue before- asking questions for example in Full Council about the declining state of repair of the building. We were reassured that all was well and there was no mention of selling this beautiful building off.
I have suggested before that the obvious answer seemed to be to invest in the building and use it as an extension to the popular and successful small business offices at the next door Tapton Innovation Centre.
This would be:
- a) Cheaper and more environmentally friendly than building brand new office blocks elsewhere.
- b) Would be in keeping with the previous use of Tapton House as first a School and then as college premises.
- c) Would provide a commercial income so that the historic building paid for its own upkeep.
- d) Would avoid any, inevitable clash, between an entirely private owner and those wanting to access the whole of Tapton Park and admire this historic building.
At a purely personal level I used to live at Tapton and in the early 1980's used to take my, then two-year-old, daughter up to enjoy the area around the House. In 2022 I now take my Granddaughter there and always encounter walkers, dogwalkers and families with children doing the same.
The Council should be making the most of this gift to the people of Chesterfield not seeking to flog it off