Urban Vision: What old buildings would you choose to regenerate, and what services/businesses would you put in there?
Tunstall Pool life line. Don't rebuild, reuse the buildings we have.
A up and coming conference " A Future For Our Heritage" planned to identify potential heritage regeneration projects in North Staffordshire, will be taking place in . Urban Vision North Staffordshire wants to look at some of the area's redundant heritage assets and explore ways of bringing them back into sustainable use.
The organisation is now appealing for people aware of underused heritage assets in their area to get in touch. Mick Downs, Urban Vision executive director, said:
"In a time of shrinking public funds the days of large scale, top-down regeneration are coming to an end. But in North Staffordshire the need for regeneration is greater than ever.
"Community-led regeneration is an important part of the Government's drive to devolve power to local level and we want to explore ways of working with local communities to see how our heritage can be re-used for local benefit."
After seeing the report in the Sentinel, I got in touch with Mick with a query about the future of Tunstall Swimming Baths. Basically if a use for the upper floors of Tunstall Baths could be found for community or business purposes there is a chance that funding could be found to repair the years of neglect under Stoke City Council and the building could be revitalised.
Of Tunstall baths Mick said that
"I do know that it s a very solidly built late Victorian structure designed by AR Wood, which is highly likely to be structurally sound, despite neglect. This is exactly the kind of building we have in mind for our conference."
"The key to getting funding to reuse old buildings is having a good viable use lined up to go in them. Providing the income from rentals will definitely pay for future management and maintenance costs, then the capital money to refurbish the building can usually be found. There are plenty of sources of funding for community led projects that can prove they are viable."
What we need to do now as a community is work on this idea if people are agreeable and try and work towards our own renewable, but without knocking things down.
Looking forward to the communities comments.
Comments
i would like to see all
i would like to see all building used at there full protential,
theres so many empty space above shops and other building in and around the city.
councils are to quick to pull down a building - due to cost repairs,
the Tunstall baths buliding is an architectural gem among buildings -
It would be great to see that
It would be great to see that space used. Like the Wedgwood Institute in Burslem, Tunstall baths (and the library) is a fine public building created to be used by the community. Both would make fine community hubs and need lots of purposes with different groups coming up with creative ideas to make them financially viable.
I know a number of people concerned about the baths and would be happy to pass this information onto them. It might also be worth putting up some notices asking for ideas in the baths, library and market as many people pass through those buildings who aren't necessarily online - maybe as part of the Race Online campaign we could have a community session at the library to collect ideas from interested people and put them on this site?
That's a really good idea
That's a really good idea about RaceOnline 2012.
Only one of the councillors I wrote to have come back saying it's a marvellous idea, and will be looking into it from their end, and a council officer came back saying they are public buildings already, what's it got to do with the public!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Grrrr, it's got everything to do with the public. The renovation/funding/funding proposal can only go ahead if there is a business or use for the spaces.
I just wanted to say I've had
I just wanted to say I've had no real feed back from our lot of local councillors about this, so it looks like the town could again be missing out.
A FUTURE FOR OUR HERITAGE
A FUTURE FOR OUR HERITAGE CONFERENCE
Friday 12 November 2010
Wedgwood Institute, Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent
Plans are well advanced to hold a conference on how some of North Staffordshire’s redundant heritage
assets can be brought back into sustainable use for the benefit of the local community.
Urban Vision North Staffordshire, the architecture and urban design centre, has secured a strong line up
of expert speakers to talk about how communities can organise to re-use our heritage to satisfy local
needs and aspirations.
Tristram Hunt, MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central and well known television historian, will open the event
with a keynote speech. Other speakers, including national experts in community-led regeneration, will
talk about successful examples from around the country, how communities can make things happen,
and how redundant public assets can be transferred and run by community groups.
In the afternoon local community members will present their proposals for projects to re-use heritage
buildings or sites, and afterwards conference delegates will vote to nominate the ideas that they think
should be given priority support.
Projects which have come forward so far include the re-use of the former Methodist Chapel in Etruria as
a community enterprise centre, a climbing centre for a chapel in Burslem, the re-use of a former Co-op
building in Leek as an arts centre, and the rebuilding of the old Burslem Branch Canal.
Mick Downs, Executive Director of Urban Vision, said: “We have had a great response from people who
want to make better use of our vacant historic buildings, and we would love to have more suggestions.
Anyone who has a project idea for an unused old building, which they would like to promote, should get
in touch by emailing mickdowns@uvns.org or ringing us on 01782 575321.“
The conference aims to identify potential heritage regeneration projects which Urban Vision might help
local community groups develop and take forward to meet their recognised needs and aspirations.
The conference, A Future For Our Heritage, will take place on Friday 12 November 2010 at the
Wedgwood Institute in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent.
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