TODMORDEN STRAWBALE HOTEL
Why a Hotel?
- We need more accommodation for Todmorden residents’ families and friends
- We need more tourist accommodation and for people attending local events
- We need somewhere for walkers and cyclists to stay
It will encourage more tourism and interest in the town, which will stimulate local businesses
Lever Street
proposal by
Town Deal Board
The Board of Todmorden Strawbale Hotel wishes to avoid any confusion and state clearly that the Todmorden Strawbale Hotel project is NOT the Town Deal Board proposal to build a 3 story Hotel on Lever Street carpark.
We have campaigned for several years to build a community Strawbale Hotel/conference centre on the old Rose Street Health Centre site, and combine this with Incredible Edible Todmorden’s Pollination Street to create a lovely and useable town centre. Our Hotel would be owned and built by the local community, with skills learnt at Todmorden College and on the actual building site.
As far as we know, the only community support for a Hotel in Todmorden over the years has been for the Strawbale Hotel, on Rose Street, which has received a lot of local popular support. Of course we are disappointed that the Town Deal Board rejected our ideas and we are not party to their current proposal.
THE SITE
Shown in the picture is the Rose Street site left vacant by the demolition of the health centre and now partly used as a public events and recreational space.
THE CONCEPT
The exterior of the Strawbale Hotel has been designed to echo the lines of the Town Hall, and to complement the surrounding stone buildings.
A two-storey building with a slightly raised ground floor comprising reception area, conference room, and smaller rooms. Upstairs 10 rooms of varying sizes offering low cost accommodation for up to 24 people. On the 2nd story, a dormitory for walkers and cyclists or those on an even lower budget. The rooms to be themed by local artists and organisations.
Catering will be partnered with the town's many independent cafés, pubs and restaurants, supporting rather than competing with them,
THE BRIEF
• To use only natural materials.
• To create a design that can be built by beginners under supervision.
• To design with affordability in mind
• To reflect Todmorden’s history and future
• To create something beautiful and durable
THE TEAM
PLAY
Barbara Jones does things differently. A pioneer of ‘natural building’ in the UK, she designed and built the UK’s first Council houses out of straw, the first two-storey strawbale houses, and the first terrace of strawbale houses. She is also internationally acclaimed for developing a unique and empowering way of teaching practical skills on building sites, and over 60% of people who learn to work ‘on the tools’ at her School of Natural Building are women compared to 1% nationally. She is also the Director of Straw Works Ltd and has received many awards.
PLAY
Penelope Marrington Local resident for 20 years. Has been a Green Town Councillor for Todmorden, and a member of several local community organisations. Semi-retired from a career in the higher education sector as a teacher and consultant in systems thinking, management and management education. Has strong and numerous links into local networks.
PLAY
Dave Wardell now retired from a career in senior management of business strategy and strategic governance for one of the last remaining mutual societies. Active in Green politics, originally standing for council elections in 1980 and a Green Town Councillor for Todmorden until May 2019. In addition to this he was a founder member of a group for older LGBTQI people in Todmorden and is currently Chair of the Todmorden Learning Centre and Community hub and a trustee of the Fielden Centre Association.
PLAY
Mary Clear Chair of Incredible Edible Todmorden. Mary has inspired local, national and international campaigns, works as an unpaid Ambassador for Todmorden and brings many tourists to Todmorden every year through the internationally acclaimed Incredible Edible network.
OUR PLAN
To bring affordable, beautiful, healthy and flood-proof
accommodation for Todmorden’s visitors!
