Middlesbrough Council bidding for Levelling Up money
The council is planning to bid for money to breathe life into two empty buildings. Middlesbrough Council is applying to the Levelling Up Fund to transform House of Fraser and the former Crown pub.
Both of the buildings are currently standing empty. House of Fraser closed its doors for good on Sunday June 19 after almost 100 years of trading in the town. In July 2020, the council bought the building for £1m when it also acquired Captain Cook Square for £8m using cash from the £14.1m Future High Streets Fund.
The local authority does not own the Crown pub but Middlesbrough Mayor Andy Preston has said the council could buy and develop the building if it received funding. The former boozer has been empty since it closed its doors abruptly in January 2015, it was then bought by property developer Cobro from Stonegate Pub Company.
In May 2016, it was revealed that Fawley Watson Booth chartered surveyors had purchased the building, acting as agents for Capital and Regional, but it has since been sold again though the owners have not been revealed. Mr Preston said: “I’m totally committed to do all I can to get the building once so popular as the ABC and Elite cinema or Crown pub back into use. Despite the important role it has played in our town’s cultural history, it has been left to rot by private owners who don’t seem to care about its negative impact.
“I’ve worked hard to get them to bring the building back into use – so far without success. But I’m determined to see it reborn in a way that benefits the town and its residents.
“One of the avenues we are looking into is government funding that would enable Middlesbrough Council to buy and redevelop the building. If we can tap into sources of funding, it could help us do something amazing with a much-loved building.”
The council would likely need a compulsory purchase order to take control of the building. The Levelling Up fund will award up to £20m for bids that focus on regeneration and the town centre, transport, or culture and heritage.
Speaking to BBC Tees, the council’s head of economic growth Sam Gilmore said: “These Crown pub and House of Fraser buildings are totemic in Middlesbrough, everyone has a story to tell about them from their past, you’d struggle to find two buildings that are more emblematic to people.”
The council officer did not reveal the details of the plans but he did say there was a need to diversify from retail, which means the buildings could be used for cultural, community or public service uses. When asked what would happen to the buildings if the council’s bid was not successful, he added: “They will always be priorities for Middlesbrough, they’re in our strategic plan and Middlesbrough Council is taking a town centre first approach.”
He went on to add: “If we miss out this round then the priority doesn’t go away, we will still pursue these uses. They need an awful lot of work and an awful lot of love and care and unfortunately, that costs money. We will always seek external resources to make sure we can bring these buildings back into use.”
The first round of the Levelling Up Fund supported £1.7bn of projects. Neither Middlesbrough, Redcar, or Hartlepool were successful in the first round, however, Stockton received £20m for Yarm town centre and Preston Park. The deadline to submit bids for the second round of funding is July 6.