Amir Khan is selling his luxury wedding venue in Bolton for £12.5million just three months after it opened.
The boxing icon’s lavish ‘Dubai-style’ tower opened in May with violins and palm trees but is not in a salubrious setting, sitting opposite a car wash and fly-tipping spot.
Named ‘The Balmayna’, the venue was in touching distance of broken fridges, settees and dirty mattresses back in January due to fly-tippers.
And now Khan, 37, whose once even aspired to host boxing events at the venue, is inviting bidders to take it off his hands.
‘I am looking to sell my wedding hall for £12.5 million. The property features four floors, including three dedicated wedding floors and a rooftop events terrace,’ he wrote on X.
Amir Khan is selling his Bolton wedding venue for £12.5million three months after it opened
The British boxing icon has poured millions of funding into it and it opened after severe delays
Khan’s venue has three wedding floors and can accommodate up to 200 vehicles
‘Additionally, there is parking available at both the front and rear, accommodating up to 200 vehicles.’
He invited interested parties to get in touch with him over email.
Work on the Washington Street site took far longer than expected as it was dogged by delays. Reports place his investment in it between £5m and £12.5m. with
‘The Balmayna’ opened with a bang in May as the venue’s first-ever bride and groom celebrated their big day in style.
Videos showed guests being serenaded by violins in front of palm trees and eating fruit canapés served by staff in bow ties, as they watched the bride arrive on a horse-drawn carriage and the groom in a Rolls Royce.
Just a couple of months in advance of the wedding, pictures showed the venue’s grand chandelier hanging from a corrugated metal roof near a smoke alarm and cables.
But images from the event showed how staff had quickly managed to fix these issues, as the building’s lavish marble floors and chandeliers were on display for all guests to see.
A Balmayna spokesperson said: ‘The first love story at the Balmayna. So elegant, so magical, simply a dream. We wish our bride and groom the most happiest of blessings. Such a stunning backdrop for your memories.’
An aerial shot shows how close Khan’s venue is to the site of the discarded rubbish
An old bin and broken fridge were dumped at the site weeks before it opened in May
A filthy fridge was dumped outside the wedding venue whichheld its first wedding in March
The former light-welterweight world champion blamed the delays on ‘unprofessional management’.
The building’s design has divided opinions with one fan likening it to one in Dubai, where Khan partly resides, and others comparing it to looking like the Premier League trophy.
At the start of the year, those who lived in the area were far from happy with the design, with one person writing on Instagram: ‘It’s an absolute eyesore!!!! A blot on the landscape!!! It’s a huge lack of class! It also doesn’t look anything at all like the image portrayed.’
In January, broken fridges, settees and dirty mattresses were seen dumped by fly-tippers around the venue. While mounds of household rubbish lay strewn across the streets leading up to the imposing structure.
Chunks of rendering are already missing from the walls encasing the building, along with damaged brickwork at the entrance to the venue.
Local resident Georgina Pickering added: ‘It looks a mess at the moment with all the rubbish around the sides and walls but that will all be gone by the time it opens.
One man said: ‘My fiance is looking at potential wedding venues at the moment but this won’t be on her list’
‘The building is massive – like a giant greenhouse, the like of which you’d see in Dubai – and does look odd next to everything else around here but it’s an improvement on what used to be there.’
But local Iqbal Azal, 40, said: ‘I don’t mind it. Yes, it is big and loud but at least Amir is trying to improve the area.’
