£1.5m to help save 'at risk' city buildings

COMMUNITY leaders have welcomed two historic buildings being awarded £1.5 million of funding.

- Phil Corrigan Local Democracy Reporter

Betheda Methodist Chapel in Hanley and Burslem Indoor Market are among 37 projects around the country to be allocated cash from the government's Heritage at Risk fund, via Historic England.

The funding will pay for vital repair work to the listed buildings, and help pave the way for them to be brought back into use. Burslem Indoor Market closed more than 20 years ago following a ceiling collapse and has remained vacant ever since.

Owner Stoke-on-Trent City Council, which applied for the funding this year, says the Grade II-listed building is in 'extremely poor condition,' with the money set to go towards emergency repairs to the roof and a refurbishment of the exterior.

The total cost of the work is expected to be around £2,297,773.

While the long-term future of the site remains uncertain - a 2023 study proposed turning it into a food court and entertainment venue - the repairs should prevent the building deteriorating further.