News

Clergy House & Cathedral Hall, Bradford

Heritage Works has recently succeeded in securing funding for an options appraisal for the grade 2 listed Georgian town house, known as Clergy House on Barkerend Road, Bradford. Owner of the buildings, Bradford Cathedral, has pledged £5,000 towards the study, and the Architectural Heritage Fund has agreed a contribution of £7,500. Bradford Council has also made a substantial financial commitment towards the study, which will complement a wider area Cathedral Quarter Market Appraisal Study to be commissioned in due course. More information

Causey Hall, Halifax

Following on from the building's partial refurbishment, several units are now available for rent. Units range from 26 square meters to 112 square meters.

Causey Hall is now available for rent or sale. Contact Walker Singleton for further details: 01422 430 000 or Download the brochure [PDF 629Kb].

See more photos of the refurbished space.

Asset Transfer for Heritage Assets

New guidance for local authorities and community organisations

On Monday 5th July, Heritage Works' Director Kate Dickson facilitated two workshops on finding new uses for old buildings at a symposium in London. New guidance is currently being drafted by URBED to help local authorities considering asset disposal and community groups hoping to take on ex-Council buildings to weigh up the potential of projects and the risks involved. The symposium considered the draft text through a series of workshops covering each chapter of the guidance document. Kate drew on her extensive experience of undertaking options appraisal studies for 'difficult' redundant buildings, encouraging delegates to consider end uses in the context of long-term sustainability and income generation, adopting a flexible approach to converting buildings so that they are 'future proofed' as services and users change over time.

The URBED guidance has been developed in consultation with a stakeholder group including representatives of the Development Trust Association's Asset Transfer Unit, the Architectural Heritage Fund, English Heritage, the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Prince's Regeneration Trust and the National Trust. It draws heavily on research undertaken by Heritage Works and the North of England Civic Trust on the role of the voluntary sector in partnerships for heritage-led regeneration. A report of that research, commissioned by the Northern Way and published by them in January 2010, can be found on the resources page of this website.

In summing up the value of URBED's draft guidance, Kate said,

"There is clearly a need to provide a 'first port of call' for all parties considering asset transfer, but Local Authorities and community groups often come from very different starting points and my concern is that in trying to serve such a diverse audience, the new guidance can do little more than signpost readers to the great wealth of information that already exists. That very breadth of interest and experience, however, strengthens even more the case we made in our Northern Way report, that there is a need for a 'middle man' to assist councils and communities in the delivery of heritage-led community regeneration projects. Then building preservation trust movement is very well placed to offer advice and to get directly involved as not-for-profit developers of historic buildings."

Heritage Works would be very interested in hearing from local authorities or community groups looking for a development partner for asset transfer projects.

"The Jewel on the Hill"

Everton Library: Phase 3

Following on from completion of the Phase 2 study, Phase 3 will make a market assessment of the business case for "The Jewel on the Hill".

Now vacant for 10 years, the Library has become vulnerable to deterioration and vandalism. Liverpool City Council is investigating the possibility of refurbishing the building to house a mix of the following uses:

• Creative enterprise workspace
• Built heritage and conservation skills learning centre
• Community cultural hub
• Local heritage resource
• Enterprise education partnership
• Café/exhibition/meeting/performance space

There is a long way to go; even if the current studies indicate that the project is viable, funding will need to be secured and is increasingly difficult to come by. However, the Library's founders intended it to be a 'beacon for learning' and it would be wonderful if it could once again become a beacon for the local area.

Everton Library, on St Domingo Road, was opened in 1896 as a Reading Rooms and Lending Library. Designed by Thomas Shelmerdine, the prolific Corporation Architect and Surveyor, it is now Grade II listed. Its elevated position and Jacobean/Arts & Crafts architectural style make it a distinctive local landmark.

• Phase 1 Study: Executive Summary [PDF 2.7Mb]
• Phase 2 Options Appraisal Study: Executive Summary [PDF 79Kb]
• Read more about Everton Library

North West Heritage Skills Hub

Building the future on the heritage of the past

As a member of the North West Heritage Skills Hub, Heritage Works welcomes Kay Leech as the new Co-ordinator for the Hub.

The North West Heritage Skills Hub aims to support traditional building skills training and professional development for the heritage sector through:

• Maintaining a network of organisations and individuals who are involved in heritage across the region
• Providing information on regional heritage skills statistics
• Raising awareness and creating training and partnership opportunities for heritage skills training
• Signposting opportunities for wider training such as Health and Safety
• Keeping hub members updated on issues affecting those working within the heritage built environment

The Hub is steered by a group of built heritage professionals with knowledge and influence at strategic level in national and regional organisations. The Hub is managed on a day-to-day basis by the Heritage Skills Co-ordinator based within the Construction Centre for Innovation (CCI) at the Centre for the Centre for the Urban Built Environment (CUBE) in Manchester.

For further information contact Kay Leech, North West Heritage Skills Co-ordinator, kay.leech@ccinw.com or 07938 898 861

Murrays' Mills Evaluation

"Delivered on time, delivered to plan, delivered to budget"

In November 2009, Heritage & Regeneration UK undertook an evaluation of the Murrays' Mills Project in Ancoats, Manchester.

"The Murrays' Mills project repaired, restored and ultimately saved, an important and iconic industrial listed building that was 'at risk'. This has been a successful project. It has delivered a significant quality exemplar of a historic building shell repair, on time, to plan and to budget."

The Murrays' Mills complex is unique and is recognised across Europe as one of the most important Grade 2* early industrial structures in the UK. Between 1999 and 2006, the Murrays' Mills 'shell repair' project brought together national and regional partners and funders with a local Trust, Ancoats Buildings Preservation Trust (now Heritage Works), to facilitate a significant project that provided gains to both the built heritage of Manchester and the overall regeneration of the Ancoats area. At the same time the capital works were being completed there were also constituent elements and projects delivered, such as Skills Schools and Stories. The Trust was also delivering concurrently another restoration project at the nearby St Peter's Church.

The Evaluation of the Murrays' Mills project was carried out between May and September 2009. The primary purpose of the evaluation was, in one document, to draw together and review all of the reporting, monitoring, evaluation and other information relating to the project and include review of any participation within area based regeneration or strategic frameworks. The evaluation included the project Skills Schools and Stories.

The evaluation found significant evidence of high levels of delivery, achievement and success, across all the main project areas. Ancoats Buildings Preservation Trust was pivotal in campaigning for the local built heritage. The Trust developed plans with local agencies in Ancoats over a number of years and then built and sustained a unique working partnership to deliver the project. Without this joint approach and co-operation the substantial conservation deficit would not have been bridged.

The evaluation offers important organisational learning points including those relating to risk management, partnership and funding, legacy of the project, promotion and publicity, future evaluation, sustainability and conflicts of interest.

Murrays' Mills Evaluation Report [PDF 13.2Mb]
Murrays' Mills Evaluation Executive Summary [ PDF 1.8Mb]
Murrays' Mills Evaluation Annexes [PDF 145Kb]

The Northern Way: Regeneration Momentum

Heritage Works and the North of England Civic Trust were commissioned by The Northern Way, through its Regeneration Momentum programme to identify new ways of working between the voluntary, public and private sector in order to deliver heritage-led regeneration schemes to the benefit of all involved.

The commission seeks to explore how Building Preservation Trusts and other third sector organisations can assist in the delivery of, and add value to, regeneration by working in partnership with both the public and private sectors.

The compiled results highlight what previous good practice could be adapted to the current climate and what gaps and barriers there are. The findings will be presented to a Regeneration Momentum Conference to be held in Bradford on 15th January 2010.

Adding Value: Third Sector Partnerships in Heritage-led Regeneration

Download Report [pdf 1.7Mb]

Download Appendices: Summary of Questionnaires & Case Studies [pdf 1.7Mb]