THE historic Grand Hotel is a core part of Leigh’s identity. It has fallen on hard times recently, but its acquisition by entrepreneur Mick Norcross, of The Only Way Is Essex fame, has presented it with a brave new future as a boutique hotel.

Everyone is rooting for the Grand, including, unfortunately, a force of invasive Japanese knotweed.

Knotweed is very bad news on any building site. The plant, officially described as “a real thug” by the Royal Horticultural Society, can punch effortlessly through solid concrete, and shatter pipes and drains. If left unchecked, it could do what developers failed to do, and demolish the Grand.

The hotel’s makeover has therefore been put on hold while the weed is eliminated.

There is no reason, however, to believe that Mr Norcross has acquired cold feet about the Grand project. Mr Norcross’s dedication to the future of the building had been resolute, and as a commercial project, the conversion of the Grand looks like an excellent investment, knotweed or no knotweed. Boutique hotels have proved to be a winning format elsewhere in Southend and beyond, and the idea seems particularly well suited to a town like Leigh.

Eventually, the new Grand will enhance the town, but here is a price to be paid. The Grand site is likely to continue to look run-down and forlorn for a while to come.