JOHN Wilkinson’s dream of turning a boarded-up Georgian mansion in a public park into a £9m country hotel could see the business contracted out to a hotel chain.

Mr Wilkinson aims to restore the Grade II listed building in the city’s Buile Hill Park into a four-star country retreat creating about 100 jobs. Salford City Council gave the go-ahead for the proposal in June.

But it has now emerged he has held talks with potential operators to run the hotel. A council report says a number of possible operators have been approached.

It adds: "MacDonald’s Hotel Group, operators of luxury hotel chain, are potential operators with the Wilkinson Corporation actually building the development and offering lease to MacDonalds".

The report adds that council chiefs ‘expressed concerns’ about who will now run the hotel and further meetings with Mr Wilkinson and his team were needed.

Council bosses insist Mr Wilkinson’s company running the hotel was not a condition of planning consent. They also say the park will remain open to the public who ever runs the hotel.

Mr Wilkinson is in the process of

buying the mansion for £675,000 from the council.

Liberal Democrat councillor Mary Ferrer, who has led a campaign to stop the hotel plan, said: "When planning permission was given we were told it would be a family-run business by Mr Wilkinson.

"Now it appears a huge organisation may be running it. This was always our fear and our concern is that they will want more of the park."

Councillor Keith Mann, the council’s environment spokesman, said: "Negotiations are continuing with the Wilkinson Corporation on the development.

"We understand that Wilkinson’s are considering whether to run the hotel themselves or to find another partner.

"No conclusions have been reached in relation to either an agreement with the Wilkinson Corporation, nor, on Wilkinson’s part, as to a hotel operator."