Fingers crossed for 11th hour hostel bid (From The Westmorland Gazette)

Fingers crossed for 11th hour hostel bid

10:00am Wednesday 20th September 2006

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A TOWN council is crossing its fingers for a last-minute offer that will save its treasured youth hostel from going under the hammer tomorrow ( Thursday).

Members of Kirkby Stephen Town Council had not given up hope that a community bid to save the accommodation would surface when they met last week and the chairman has since pleaded for locals to give the matter serious thought.

"I know that, time-wise, things are pretty tight but if there is sufficient interest from the community to retain the hostel as a community facility, we as a town council would be very keen to provide the momentum behind a bid," said chairman Alex Birtles.

But with the Fletcher Hill site going up for auction tomorrow (Thursday, September 21), the Youth Hostel Association has said that, unless a firm offer is placed on the table, it will have no option but to press ahead with the sale.

With a guide price of £125,000-£150,000 the hostel, which was converted from a Methodist chapel, has been a popular stopping off point for walkers on Wainwright's Coast to Coast route for around 25 years but became the subject of local concern when it emerged the YHA was to sell the property to help finance an £18m overhaul of its 200 remaining hostels.

Despite its central location and 40 bedrooms, no offers have been made on the site although the YHA did express a desire to keep the property within its network by selling to a third party who would be willing to retain it as a hostel.

Reporting back to fellow members of the council, following a meeting with Ian Baker, the YHA's deputy regional manager for the North West, Coun Birtles said the only "glimmer of hope" was that an acceptable offer was not made on the day.

"If the property doesn't make its reserve price the YHA has said it may work with the local community. That is our one glimmer of hope. I would happily support a community buy-out," he said.

However, Mr Baker said the association could also go down the route of re-advertising the site at a later date.

"In an ideal world I would love to see either a private individual or an organisation take the hostel on as a going concern and come in with us (the YHA) to run it as a youth hostel.

"But it may be that we have to put it up for auction at a later date."

Kirkby Stephen Youth Hostel will be one of four YHA properties going under the hammer at The King's Arms Hotel, Kirkby Stephen, from 2pm tomorrow (September 21).

Anyone who would like to contact Coun Birtles can do so via the town's Council and Community Centre on 017683-71325.

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