New Peak District hotel to create 140 jobs
A new Peak District hotel is set to create 140 jobs after opening its doors.
Grade I listed Buxton Crescent has been launched as a luxury hotel following a multi-million pound redevelopment involving Derbyshire County Council and High Peak Borough Council.
The hotel and spa facility will be managed by international hotel brand Ensana.
The hotel features 81 bedrooms and suites, a bar and restaurant offering classical British cuisine using locally sourced produce. The hotel also features a spa with eight treatment rooms and three swimming pools including a thermal pool, relaxation pool and indoor-outdoor rooftop pool.
The project to restore and regenerate the historic building, owned jointly by the county council and borough council, was begun by the councils 25 years ago. It has widespread support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund – with a grant of £23.9m – and Historic England which contributed £625,000 as well as regional and local organisations including D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership which contributed £2m from the Local Growth Fund, and the local community.
Derbyshire County Council contributed £13.4m since the project started to help plug the “conservation deficit” – the difference between what is viable as a commercial operator to invest and what is needed to preserve a Grade I listed building. It also made a loan of £11.4m to the developer which will be repaid by the developer at commercial interest rates.
Mark Hennebry, chairman of Ensana Hotels, said: “We are delighted to bring the Ensana Hotels brand to the UK for the first time, specifically to Buxton, which is such an exciting yet relatively unexplored wellness destination.
“So much more than just a spa, we are proud to be helping to put this historical gem of a town back on the tourist map by opening a hotel within one of the most significant Georgian architectural buildings.
“We are hugely appreciative of the significant funding support from the Heritage Lottery Fund and other stakeholders including Derbyshire County Council and High Peak Borough Council without whom this fabulous renovation would not have been possible”.
