Council loses £1m funding for market repairs

Funding of £1m which was awarded for essential repairs to a 19th Century market building has been withdrawn.

Historic England awarded the money to Stoke-on-Trent City Council in August so it could carry out renovations at the Grade II listed Burslem Indoor Market.

But the grant has now been withdrawn by the organisation following concerns over the large upfront costs of materials and potential delays to the work starting.

A council spokesperson said they were disappointed about the loss of funding but pledged to make sure the work was still carried out.

A spokesperson for Historic England said the project was originally designed to be delivered within a year.

"After careful consideration, we took the difficult decision to review the original grant offer, as the necessary conditions for releasing funding have not been met," they added.

The organisation instead offered a development grant of up to £200,000 to support the next stage of planning and feasibility work at the market.

"This will support the conservation of the building in the future and prevent further deterioration," the spokesperson added.

The 19th Century market building, which has been out of use for more than 20 years, requires work to its roof, brickwork and drainage to make it watertight.

According to a council report, it was still "crucial" the work was carried out, despite the Historic England funding being cancelled.

The authority has proposed to spend £3.36m on the works, along with £2.6m for repairs to the Wedgwood Institute, also in Burslem.

The institute on Queen Street was built in the 1860s in memory of potter and philanthropist Josiah Wedgwood and was intended as a place to run courses on science, business and the arts for Burslem's working men but has been empty for several years.

Councillor Finlay Gordon-McCusker said it was "disappointing" to lose the grant for the market and the authority was exploring other external funding streams.

"Historic England's decision does not undermine the strategic case for investment and it does not mark the end of external funding efforts," he added.

"Safeguarding these buildings is about protecting the town's heritage and keeping future regeneration options open. Walking away would be irresponsible."

A decision on the funding for both sites is set to be made at a meeting of the council's cabinet on Tuesday.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

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