Regeneration

Heritage-led regeneration is key for growth in Britain’s historic town centres, according to planning consultants Lichfields.

The company's Historic Opportunities report says heritage assests must be repurposed in “ambitious and creative” ways, citing environmental, economic and social benefits.

Analysis of Towns Fund, Future High Streets Fund and Levelling Up Fund applications revealed heritage regeneration to be one of six funding themes. 90% of Towns Fund bids intend to use at least part of their grant for heritage-led regeneration.

The report’s lead author James Fryatt says future projects should focus on reusing assets, with the average vacancy rate of historic high streets and towns at about 14%.

“This will see historic buildings increasingly adapted to reflect changes in retail and growing demand for leisure activities and creative and flexible workspaces."

Lichfield Heritage Director Nick Bridgland added: “Our report points to a successful future for those historic towns that take advantage of the available funding and adopt a fresh approach to heritage-led regeneration work."

Witshire's Trowbridge Town Hall is set to undergo a £8.1m redevelopment next year.

Half of the £16.3m given to Trowbridge from the Future High Streets Fund will go towards restoring the Grade-II listed building's ballroom and creating three smaller performances spaces.

The venue hosts film, music, visual arts and theatre events, welcoming 50,000 visitors annually.

Director David Lockwood hopes the project will reimagine a town centre with community ownership and culture at its heart.

"The Town Hall opened over 100 years ago and pledged ‘for the benefit of the inhabitants of the town for ever.’ A century on, we’re inspired by that history to create a pioneering cultural venue which is deeply rooted in its community."

Crafts charity Devon Guild of Craftsmen has rebranded to MAKE Southwest ahead of redevelopment plans.

A spokesperson said the new name reflects the many women involved in the gallery and its focus beyond Devon.

The charity plans to restore its Grade II-listed mill building to improve accessibility, restore its waterwheel and create new maker spaces for craftspeople. 

MAKE Southwest Chair Louis Victory said the works will turn the building into a “creative place in its own right”

“Although the early months of the pandemic were difficult, we are now operating successfully, having taken the opportunity to modernise and plan for an ambitious and exciting future.”

Huddersfield will get a new art gallery, library, event venue and museum under proposals to create a new "cultural heart" in the town centre.

Councillors' preferred plan involves turning the central library into a museum and using service tunnels beneath the city as an exhibition space.

An event venue could have capacity for up to 2,500 people.

The council will need to borrow to finance £210m in works, slated to begin in 2026.

Cabinet Member for Regeneration Peter McBride called it "a thoughtful risk".

"It's also a huge risk to ignore the issue and to leave things behind and not to invest in our future.

"If we don't, this town will be doomed."

London's Courtauld Gallery has reopened to the public following a three year, £57m refurbishment.

Closed in 2018 for renovations, the Somerset House site has retained its original 18th Century staircases and added improved exhibition spaces for its impressionist and post-impressionist collections.

"We feel we’ve earned a bit of good luck in three years of closure that had its challenges, including Covid," head of the gallery Ernst Vegelin van Claerbergen said.

"We hope London and England and the UK will feel that this is a place they absolutely want to come to see and it’s the right time and in the right spirit of the moment."

Reading’s first ever producing theatre has opened following a two-year campaign that raised over £1m.

Reading Rep Theatre is sited in an old Salvation Army building and features a 163-seat auditorium alongside rehearsal and studio spaces.

More than 20 trusts and foundations contributed to the refurbishment, as well as Arts Council England, The National Lottery Community Fund and Reading Borough Council.

Artistic Director Paul Stacey called the theatre “a cultural hub for a town emerging out of isolation”.

“It's a really special moment... we've finally got the resources to realise our ambitions and put Reading on the national cultural map.”