Historic partnership signals new era for Stoke-on-Trent's heritage buildings

Stoke-on-Trent is set to turbo-charge the regeneration of its historic buildings through an important new partnership.

The city council has struck a deal with Re-Form Heritage as part of its ongoing commitment to protect and safeguard Stoke-on-Trent’s key heritage sites.

The agreement will see two council-owned Business Enterprise Centres – CoRE and Roslyn Works in Longton – transferred to Re-Form Heritage on a leasehold basis. 

The sites, which provide homes for a range of small business, fulfill a key role in the city’s economic regeneration. As part of the deal, Re-Form Heritage will be subject to a detailed set of conditions requiring them to manage and maintain the sites for the benefit of local businesses and communities.

Last year, Re-Form Heritage secured funding from the Architectural Heritage Fund (AHF) as part of its designation as the city’s Heritage Development Trust (HDT).

The funding enables the organisation to work with stakeholders including Stoke-on-Trent City Council to preserve key heritage sites in the city and breathe new life into disused and at-risk historic buildings.

As well as taking on CoRE and Rosyln as ‘going concerns’, Re-Form Heritage is looking to take on regeneration projects at other sites across the city, for which it will be seeking substantial external funding to bring them back into use. As part of this work, the charity is currently finalising a viability study for the Grade II*-listed Bethesda Methodist Chapel in Hanley.

Councillor Jane Ashworth, Leader of Stoke-on-Trent City Council, said: “We are delighted to be working with Re-Form Heritage to develop a long-term plan for some of our most important heritage buildings.

“Re-Form has a strong track record of regenerating key sites in the city and we are committed to working closely with them to bring even more sites back into use, and preserve them for generations to come.

“We want to create a clear plan for all our valued heritage assets and are prioritising a programme of restoration and re-use, this includes transferring assets to community organisations, at the heart of our city, who have proven success in heritage regeneration.”

Re-Form Heritage has a strong track record of regenerating heritage assets in the city.

The first of these is Middleport Pottery, the home of Burleigh, the last continuously operating Victorian ceramics factory and now an award-winning heritage attraction. Regeneration began in 2011 and the site opened to the public in 2014.

This has since been enhanced through the regeneration of Harper Street in 2022 – adjacent to Middleport Pottery – housing a new, additional heritage attraction, studio and workshop spaces including a community centre for Middleport’s residents.

Re-Form Heritage Chief Executive Dr Alasdair Brooks said: “The strong partnership we are building with Stoke-on-Trent City Council will form an important part of our longer-term planning in building our sustainability as Stoke-on-Trent’s Heritage Development Trust.

“We warmly welcome the opportunity provided by the transfer of CoRE and Roslyn as an important early step in strengthening our capacity to work with a range of partners to regenerate Stoke-on-Trent’s internationally significant built heritage.

“We will be appointing a project manager in the new year to help move the transfer forward, and to consult with existing tenants at both sites prior to completion of the process.”

The council’s Cabinet will decide whether to go ahead with the proposals on Tuesday 10 December.