Struggling Ceramica: Town hall may have to be sold
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.
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.
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