Mick is on verge of restoring the Grand (From Echo)

Mick is on verge of restoring the Grand

1:37pm Thursday 24th November 2011 in Leigh By George Thorpe

Mick Norcross

A TV star and nightclub boss is on the verge of starting to transform an iconic building in Leigh back to its former glory.

Mick Norcross, who appears on the Only Way is Essex, plans to turn the derelict Grand Hotel, in Leigh Broadway, into a boutique hotel, complete with a spa and restaurant.

Mick, 48, who owns the Sugar Hut bar, in Brentwood, is hoping the lease for the property, built in 1896, will be tied up in January.

Even though he still requires permission from Southend Council to carry out his vision, Mick is confident the building will become “grander than ever before”.

He said: “I have been having meetings with restoration companies in regards to restoring the front facade and parts of the inside to their original state.

“We are looking at this as a grand refurbishment with the importance on keeping the building in tune with the period it was first built.”

Mick also confirmed the name for the hotel will be the Grand Boutique Hotel.

News of Mick’s plans for the hotel have been well received by residents, including Leigh Town Council chairman Pat Holden.

She believes the town has needed a hotel for many years.

She said: “We get a lot of people who come to do presentations for us at the council who travel in from across the country.

“When they ask us what hotels there are in Leigh, we are forced to tell them they have to stay in Westcliff or somewhere else.

“I am delighted to hear Mr Norcross is planning to turn it into a hotel once more because it is a landmark building in Leigh. “It could help rejuvenate that part of the town as well.”

Along with previously being a hotel, the building became a popular live music venue in the 1980s.

One of the last owners of the property, Orchid, went into administration in 2008 and the building closed.