Stoke calls for £325m fund to address ‘heritage emergency’

Stoke-on-Trent City Council says some of the city’s most important buildings could be lost forever, unless over £300m of investment is found to save it.

The potteries city features more than 200 listed buildings and structures, many of which date back to the industrial revolution and the advent of the region’s once thriving ceramics industry.

However, 16 of those are now considered ‘at risk’ according to a new report by Stoke-on-Trent City Council, which says several of the city’s most important assets could be lost entirely if urgent action is not taken.

Declaring a ‘National Heritage Emergency’ for the city due to what the report says is its national and international significance, the council is now calling for more than £300m of investment to preserve some of the city’s key architectural assets.

“The task of preserving and protecting the city’s historic assets is beyond the capabilities and resources of any single organisation. Therefore, this prospectus is intended to act as a call to arms,” said the report.

“Our heritage is a testament to past brilliance in architecture and urban design, as well as the spirit of enterprise and creativity that was its essential foundation. Most importantly, it is intrinsic to our identity as a place.

“However, the harsh reality is that much of this built heritage is in a poor condition and urgent action is needed if it is not to be lost to the city. Moreover, the state of dilapidation acts as a barrier to the city’s current ambitions to drive economic growth, provide more homes and create beautiful public spaces. ”

The report blames a combination of factors for the city’s architectural malaise, including absentee owners and vandalism, adding that the decline is slowing regeneration of the city and weakening local economies.

However, a planned £325m investment, should it be secured, could provide opportunities for regeneration around the city’s brownfield locations which could see hundreds of new homes and employment sites constructed – a move the council says would attract inward investment, and reinvigorate the visitor economy.

“Stoke-on-Trent should be an international jewel. It is a unique settlement not just in the United Kingdom, but in the world,” the report adds.

“It is the birthplace of a global industry that endures, that started with pots and now produces parts for satellites. We make art and technology from the very dirt beneath our feet.

“We must care for the heritage that bequeathed this extraordinary legacy both to honour the generations that created such splendour, and to point us towards what can be an equally brilliant future.”

The full report can be read on the city council website: The Potteries – a national heritage emergency