Struggling Ceramica: Town hall may have to be sold
COUNCILLORS have been warned the Potteries could lose an historic landmark unless it can be transformed into a new visitor attraction.
Regeneration experts have revealed that the Old Town Hall, Burslem, may have to be sold to repay the £2.1 million Lottery grant used to set up the struggling Ceramica project.
-
Burslem Town hall may have to be sold
The threat emerged during a meeting yesterday to discuss proposals for the future of Ceramica.
A Stoke-on-Trent City Council committee heard that an independent report has come back with five possible options for the site, in Market Place. Burslem Town Centre Manager Julian Read told members that the five choices were:
Shut the Ceramica building;
Increase city council support to maintain the current attraction;
Enhance the existing site as a new paid-for tourist attraction;
Provide a free community facility on the Old Town Hall site;
Expand the community facility to include the glass annexe.
Mr Read said the first option would result in the Ceramica Trust having to repay the £2.1 million in funding that it received from the Big Lottery Fund.
The preferred option would be to turn Ceramica into a more successful visitor attraction..
He said: "This would involve making a substantial investment in the Ceramica building through the North Staffordshire Regeneration Partnership (NSRP) and the city council."
He added that possible uses could include a library, an educational attraction and a cafe bar.
The NSRP's head of economic development, David Mather, warned that the building's owner, the council, could legally be forced to sell the Old Town Hall.
He said: "If the building was closed down and was no longer being used for its original purpose, the Lottery Commission could claw back the money from the Ceramica Trust.
"If they were unable to pay, then the Big Lottery Fund can seek to recover the money from the sale of the asset."
Mr Mather also revealed that there is no truth in reports that the council is still negotiating with community radio station Focal Radio about moving to the glass annexe of the Ceramica site.
He told councillors: "Negotiations with Focal Radio have ceased and they will not be coming here for the foreseeable future." He declined to elaborate on the situation.
The radio station, fronted by former Signal presenter Sam Plank, began broadcasting from Trent Vale earlier this month. Ceramica Trust Board member councillor Peter Kent-Baguley said: "I can think of no better use for this building than a radio operation of the sort that Sam Plank was proposing, but we have ignored the opportunity."
Mr Read said the Burslem Regeneration Company would meet with Ceramica Trust Board figures in January.
12 Comments
View all
by Jill D., Smallthorne
Friday, November 28 2008, 7:43AM
“If anyone is interested, you can see what is in and some of the things they do at Ceramica(OLD TOWN HALL BUILDING)
By visiting You Tube, type in video search the word,
ceramica
We did, visited and had a great time, this little gem is on our doorstep.
Why dont you give it a try?”
by Shane, stoke
Thursday, November 27 2008, 6:02PM
“Its about time that the council gave buisinesses in Burslem a chance to compete with the City centre and re-introduce free parking in Burslem. i used to pop into Burlem regularly to top up on a few items when it was free to park. However its very rare that i go now because if i have to pay its easier to combine all in a trip to Hanley or Newcastle. if it was free to park for perhaps an hour i would be inclined to pop into ceramica for a look.”
by Walker, Hartshill
Thursday, November 27 2008, 5:41PM
“Are you not proud of Burslem town hall?
I'm afraid no city holds up its gift shops as an indication of good architecture.”
by Neil, Chell
Thursday, November 27 2008, 4:50PM
“Walker, I am a proud Stokie. I want to see constructions that the whole nation can see and say ,Yes! I like that.”
by Walker, Hartshill
Thursday, November 27 2008, 4:35PM
“Nooooo, that's the gift shop.”
by Neil, Chell
Thursday, November 27 2008, 3:41PM
“Ceramica, is that the lean-to I keep seeing as I pass through Burslem?”
by Walker, Hartshill
Thursday, November 27 2008, 3:32PM
“Just to get those facts a bit more right Paul, the "glass carbuncle" is NOT Ceramica. That's just the gift shop.
Granted it's not a very nice building extension, but it didn't cost 2.1 million pounds to build that thing. lol.”
by Paul, Trentham
Thursday, November 27 2008, 2:03PM
“Let's get this right.
1. SoT City Council Regen applied for £2.1 million of BLF to build the glass carbuncle.
2. In order to get the £2.1 million, they submitted falacious visitor totals of 100,000 per year (based on visitor numbers to the now demolished Royal Doulton Factory on Nile Street).
3. Visitor numbers are less than 45 per day, hence the closure of the glass carbuncle.
4. Due to SoT City Council Regen incompetence, SoT City Council want to close Ceramica.
5. BLF want their money back.
6. In order to raise the money to pay back the £2.1m BLF money, SoT City Council Regen need to sell Burslem Town Hall.
7. SoT City Council now propose to sell Burslem Town Hall, which was constructed and bequeathed to the people of Burslem by the Aldermen and philanthropists of Burslem.
Conclusion
The people of Burslem, past and present, will have to pick up the bill and suffer for the ineptitude of SoT City Council Regen.
When are the officers of SoT City Council going to be made accountable and responsible for their mismanagement?
Warning!
These people are in charge of the £2 billion Regen fund for the City.
In 8 years time, we'll probably have to pay that back to cover for their cockamaney projects.
Paul Ruscoe
Trentham”
by Cathrit, Burslem
Thursday, November 27 2008, 1:44PM
“There is actually another way - transfer the asset on a long term lease to an organisation or partnership of many organisations - that can make it clean its face. The Burslem School of Art by comparison recieves no revenue funding, is fully maintained and open to the public 12 hours a day five days a week, approximately 30 people work there full time, between 100 and 150 visitors come through it a day - people who would not ordinarily be in the town. Just beacuse a large scale ceramic vistor attraction didn't work (not surprisingly given that it relies on the boyancy of the commercial sector entirely - in this case the success of the factory shops and the ceramic tourism trade) doesn't mean we are out of ideas.”
by Mark Edward Brayford, Chesterton
Thursday, November 27 2008, 12:29PM
“If the glass excrescence on the back was demolished, this would once again be one of the finest buildings in the county. The best use for it is obvious, it should become a place of worship to The Lord Our God. Goodness knows the sinners of Burslem could do with it.”