Redcar & Cleveland Borough Council have informed us of their decision but will not clarify if the building has been sold or leased. I think it is a great pity that the Council have ignored the voices of so many people and turned their back on the history and heritage of old Saltburn.
The Friends have fought, for five years, to acquire the property so it comes as a bitter disappointment to us. The reasons the Council gave for our failure were:
Concern over the limited opening hours of the building – we had clearly indicated that the building would be open at any time, generating monies via private exhibition rentals etc. These monies would have been used to help maintain the building.
Concern over the lack of funding both in capital and revenue items to sustain the facilities going forward – we had indicated that we had sufficient funding in place. One benefactor had promised to totally refurbish the inside of the building, bringing it back to how it would have been when first built. The Council’s woefully inept way of handling things had meant that we had already lost a £30,000 grant but we were confident that we still had sufficient funding in place.
As Chairman, I will be suggesting the disbandment of the Friends of Saltburn Mortuary at the next Saltburn 500 Club Committee meeting. So there we have it – Saltburn Mortuary, RIP.
I would like to thank you all for your support over the years and wish you all a Happy New Year.
Trevor Welburn
Chairman, Friends of Saltburn Mortuary
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