THE team behind the renovation of The Grand Hotel in Leigh has announced it has been given the freehold interest. 

Plans to renovate the run-down landmark were first put forward in 2012. 

Businessman and former Towie star Mick Norcross came up with a proposal to spend £4.5million to turn it into a boutique spa hotel, featuring a restaurant, tearooms, piano bar, 20 bedrooms and a bridal suite.

Work was meant to start in February 2014, but months of delays followed, partly blamed on the discovery of Japanese knotweed on the premises.

The future of the Grand seemed very bright back in November 2013 when Mr Norcross took to Twitter to announce he had finally exchanged contracts with the Spirit Pub Group – a year after he got permission to refurbish the old hotel.

Builders soon appeared to carry out roof repairs and other maintenance, though the planned start in February was delayed by further negotiations with the site’s freeholder over the plans.

By March, reports emerged that the highly invasive – and difficult to eradicate – Japanese knotweed had returned to the grounds despite being removed once before the previous October, further delaying any work to the structure.

The problem was cleared up and workmen were back on site in April cutting back overgrown vegetation at the front and back of the hotel to allow builders to move in their equipment.

By May, the pace of work had gathered and the site was closed off with hoarding to allow builders to do their work undisturbed.

Photos of the works soon appeared on the Grand’s Twitter page along with some of the artwork and antique furniture Mr Norcross had procured for the hotel.

Many of the pictures were of traditional features, such as arched doorways and painted ceilings, which had been boarded up and rediscovered by the workmen – giving weight to Mr Norcross’s stated intention to restore rather than redevelop the building.

After July, however, both the Twitter page and work on the site fell silent.

It wasn’t until September, when a row over the clearing up of rubbish erupted between the Grand team and Leigh Town Council, that the Twitter feed became active again.

Since then, Japanese knotweed has again been blamed for continuing delays and a new proposed opening date of Christmas 2015 didn't materialise.

But in a further tweet, Mr Norcross seemed to hint at a change in plans for the iconic building.