Burslem Townscape Heritage Initiative 2 Interim Evaluation and Progress to Date 2007 - 2012 Burslem Townscape Initiative 1. 2. Burslem Townscape Initiative Contents Foreword 4 Introduction 5 Conservation & Heritage Need 6 Management of the Scheme 6 Promotion of the Scheme & Publicity 6 Spend Profile and Outputs achieved 7 Success or Failure – Results of the Scheme 9 Challenges and Lessons Learnt 12 THI and its role in the regeneration of Burslem 13 Townscape Heritage Initiative Round 3 13 (Burslem Building Improvement Scheme THI 3) Conclusion 14 Progress to date document 15 Burslem Townscape Initiative 3. Foreword “An enterprise solution,” “improved image,” “part of the reason we moved to Burslem,” “the work has secured a future for my business.” Just a few of the words and responses from Burslem business owners used to describe the impact of the Burslem Townscape Heritage Initiative since it’s inception in April 2007. I am proud that the Burslem Regeneration Company has secured this £4m funding package distributed over 5 years. It has kick- started a building, business and economic revival to bring unused floor spaces back into commercial and residential use. This in turn is encouraging people to return to the town. Demand for the scheme has been high from the outset with significant and continuing interest despite the challenging economic climate. To date 36 individual projects have been supported and successfully completed. Further projects are anticipated. By working together we have shown how improvements are encouraging people to value all that Burslem represents, re-connecting individuals and safeguarding the distinctive characteristics of Burslem Town Centre properties and preserving the street-scene for current and future generations to use, engage with and enjoy. I would like to congratulate and thank Stoke-on-Trent City Council, the Heritage Lottery Fund, Advantage West Midlands, the many private investors and the project team for their collaborative approach, for establishing the green-shoots of growth and for their resolve to deliver change and renewed optimism for Burslem. Joan Walley MP for Stoke-on-Trent North 4. Burslem Townscape Initiative Introduction Background & Context Stoke-on-Trent City Council’s millennium publication Heritage at Risk! laid the foundations for the future management and conservation of the historic environment of the City. The Regeneration Strategy which followed also identified the use of the built heritage as a priority and a focus for regeneration. Due to its unique history and architectural character the designated Conservation Area within the City’s ‘Mother- Town,’ of Burslem was nominated for Townscape Investment by the City Council and a programme of heritage-led regeneration projects was to be implemented. A Burslem Regeneration Company was set up in 2003 with a view to providing a vehicle for delivering that heritage-led regeneration. A Burslem Masterplan and Urban Design Action Plan ensued in 2004. These set out the vision, strategic framework and guiding principles for future development of the town. A first-phase Burslem Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI) Scheme had been established in 1999 with a funding package of £3m from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), Advantage West Midlands (AWM), Stoke- on-Trent City Council and the private sector; it ran from 2000 – 2005. The majority of the funds were committed (with a slight underspend due to concentration on the identified targets, and little movement away from these towards other properties that may have been eligible) but social and economic decline continued, and many historic buildings remained either vacant or under-used. As such a successive bid was made to the HLF and AWM in 2004-06. It aimed to build on Phase 1 achievements by continuing to restore the integrity of the historically important street scene within Burslem’s conservation area and to act as an economic enabler for the town. Successful, it attracted a further total investment of £4m and ended in November 2012. At the time of the Phase 2 THI submission deprivation statistics showed that wages in Burslem were 20% below the national average, that house prices were less than half the national average and that educational attainment and car ownership were significantly lower. With the decline of its traditional pottery manufacturing industry, job losses now ran into thousands and it followed that a large proportion of the remaining population would need to look elsewhere for work. Investment in retail and leisure were low as a result of the pull of other commercial centres in the City and the environmental quality of the town declined. This, in turn led to low demand, low retail rentals, low investment, poor maintenance and a high incidence of unused upper-floor space in commercial buildings. Interim Evaluation This interim evaluation will look at the second round of THI funding to the town to examine whether the scheme has achieved its objectives, the social and economic need, conservation and heritage need, how the scheme has been managed, its achievements, issues encountered and any lessons learnt throughout the delivery of the scheme. Burslem Townscape Initiative 5. Conservation and Heritage Need The unique and historic architectural quality of Burslem was recognised by its designation as a conservation area in 1974. This was extended in 1986 and again in 2005. The oldest of the pottery manufacturing areas in Stoke-on-Trent, Burslem’s compact core and designated conservation area survives as a centre that reflects the status the town achieved through the development of ceramic manufacture. This reached its peak in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Stoke-on-Trent City Council produced appraisals and management proposals for its conservation areas in 2005. Due to its established and ongoing first – phase the THI programme in Burslem was already at the forefront. Management of the Scheme Sitting within the City Renewal department of Stoke-on-Trent City Council and based in Burslem, funded by the THI Scheme, the Project Officer reports to the Conservation & Design Manager, has access to a full range of technical skills and conservation expertise and works in collaboration with AWM, the HLF, Stoke-on-Trent City Council and in liaison with English Heritage, local businesses and the community. On a day-to-day basis management of the scheme is provided by the City Council with support from Financial and Legal Services. The Scheme is managed at a strategic level via the Burslem Regeneration Company Board (BRC) and through a THI Approval Panel who meet on a monthly basis. The group endorses funding decisions on an individual case basis put forward by the Project Officer. A particular management challenge of the Phase 1 & 2 Schemes has been to manage the flow of projects each year to ensure project spend targets are achieved whilst limiting financial and development risks to building owners. This has been achieved by producing a 12 month forecast which estimates when each project will start on site to ensure targets are met. This proved difficult in the final financial year due to the lack of projects moving forward in the first half of the year following uncertainty of funding from AWM. Promotion of the Scheme and Publicity From the outset the THI Scheme has been promoted to owners and occupiers of relevant commercial buildings through leaflets, exhibitions, local press, the Council website and by word of mouth. Over time the Scheme has gained momentum and demand continues to be high despite the current economic climate. Every opportunity to publicise and promote the benefits and successes of the scheme have been grasped with regular features in Burslem’s dedicated Newsletter, The Angel, via The Sentinel, Stoke-on- Trent City Council’s Our City magazine, The Advertiser, Radio Stoke, Midlands Today and Central News, in consultation workshops, tours of the town and through presentations. 6. Burslem Townscape Initiative Spend Profile and Outputs achieved Burslem THI Round 2 has seen the historic renovation of 40 properties within the town centre, all requiring different levels of renovation but all resulting in the same aim - ‘to ensure the historic fabric of the building is restored to enable the property to be retained for future use’. Overall the scheme has brought £3.8m investment into the town plus addtional support from Staffordshire Environmental Fund, Eon and Coalfields Regeneration Trust. Stoke-on-Trent City Council - £57,000 (Revenue) Heritage Lottery Fund - £955,433 (Capital and Revenue) Advantage West Midlands - £1,376,000 Private Sector - £1,498,333 Total - £3.8m £ AWM, HLF and Private Spend 2007 - 2012 1200000 1000000 800000 600000 400000 200000 0 2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 Private HLF Grant AWM Grant There has also been match funding consisting of; Coalfields Regeneration Trust - 2007/08£122,000, Staffordshire 2008/09 Environmental 2009/10 2010/11Fund - £30,000 2011/12 EON - £16,700AW andM Methodist Mission -55146 £10,000 185365 323027 419395 393067 HLF 56070 121500 212869 119897 445097.63 Private Sector 42170 229700 539659 406284 280520.63 Burslem Townscape Initiative 7 . Outputs and Outcomes The following table summarizes the outputs committed to at the outset of the scheme and what has been achieved to date against these targets: Outputs achieved 2009/2012 Total Contracted Output 2007/8 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2011/12 Forecast Forecast Jobs Created 10 0 2 5 2.5 4 13.5 Jobs 15 0 2 10 3 1 16 Safeguarded Business created at 12 2 0 0 0 1 1 2 months Businesses created at 24 3 0 0 0 0 3 3 months Businesses attracted to 2 0 0 0 0 2 2 the region Businesses 15 0 10 2 8 0 20 Assisted Private sector 1,526,000 42,170 229,700 539,659 406,284 280,520 1,498,333 leverage (£) HLF Funding 890,660 56,070 121,500 212,869 119,897 445,097 955,433 (£) AWM Funding 1,308,985 55,146 185,365 323,027 419,395 393,067 1,376,000 (£) Over 1,465 sqm.