WEEDS could still be the main reason little work work has been carried out recently at the Grand Hotel in Leigh, a public meeting heard.

Residents at Leigh Town Council’s annual meeting raised fresh concerns about the lack of progress with owner Mick Norcross’s project to restore the local landmark.

About 100 people packed into the Elm Road Community Centre seeking answers about the future of the Victorian building.

The project been dogged by several false starts since the Brentwood nightclub owner took over the lease at the end of 2013.

Mr Norcross, a one-time regular in the TV show, the Only Way is Essex, plans to convert the Grand into a boutique spa hotel.

In response to an question about the apparent lack of progress, town council chairman Richard Herbert said: “I don’t know what’s going on and the estate agents don’t know what’s going on, either.

“All I know is the Japanese knotweed is a major problem there.”

The last post on the Twitter account set up online by Mr Norcross to promote the project (@GrandHotelLeigh) was a photo of a Japanese knotweed root, uplaoded on February 5. The caption read: “This is what has caused all the trouble – Japanese knotweed roots.”

Japanese knotweed is a highlyinvasive plant, which establishes a an underground network of roots which make it notoriously hard to kill off.

Since its last tweet, the only activity on the Twitter account has been two messages repeated from Mr Norcross’s personal account, one about a nightclub training academy onFebruary 18 , and the other on March 16, saying he was looking forward to the Publican Awards.

Photos posted last June appeared to show a flurry of building activity, with workmen uncovering forgotten spaces and ornate original design features covered up for years.

Pictures of antique furniture and ornaments, which Mr Norcross says will one day adorn the building, were also posted.

Mr Norcross’s plan includes 20 bedrooms, a piano lounge, a bar, restaurant, tea rooms and a luxury spa. He has said in the paste he hoped the hotel, would open next winter, but current status of the project remains unclear.

  • The Echo asked Mr Norcross to comment, but he did not respond to our calls.