Project aims to repurpose historic buildings

Re-Form Heritage owns and operates Middleport Pottery in Stoke-on-Trent

A project aimed at breathing new life into neglected historic buildings has been launched.

Re-Form Heritage, which owns and manages Middleport Pottery, the last continuously operating Victorian pottery in the city, is behind the project in Stoke-on-Trent.

The charity hopes to buy and redevelop a number of local heritage buildings as well as apply for further grants to cover project development costs.

It is one of 12 schemes across the country which is being supported as part of a £5m project from the Architectural Heritage Fund and National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Bosses said they were yet to identify specific buildings they wanted to take on, but are currently working with experts to help them shape their plans.

The Architectural Heritage Fund works with communities to take on historic buildings since 1976, to find new uses for them.

The fund’s director of programmes Dr Kelcey Wilson-Lee said: “There’s amazing heritage across Stoke-on-Trent, over 200 listed buildings and structures.

“Many of them need new uses and they could bring amazing new opportunities for locals – both in terms of civic pride and delivering some key local services.”

'Social regeneration'

Re-Form Heritage chief executive Alasdair Brooks said there was a shared interest among them in combining heritage regeneration with projects that had a social purpose.

He said: “The goal is to start off by identifying a couple of immediate heritage sites that we can regenerate.

Stoke-on-Trent had been identified as a priority location for heritage protection, he said.

He added that the trust was hoping to produce a longer-term pipeline of projects in the city.