£12.8m Flax Mill Maltings funding bid submitted
A bid for £12.8m to help regenerate Shrewsbury’s historic Flax Mill Maltings has now been submitted to the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF).
The bid has been submitted by Shropshire Council on behalf of the partners behind plans to bring these internationally-important buildings back to life – Shropshire Council, English Heritage, the Friends of the Flax Mill Maltings, and the Homes and Communities Agency.
A decision is due to be made by HLF in July 2013.
Meanwhile, new banners have been put up at the Flax Mill Maltings site to promote the commercial opportunities that will exist at the site from 2016, and to encourage potential tenants to come forward.
If the bid to the HLF is successful, work to restore and bring back into use some of the main historic buildings at the site – including the Main Mill, the Kiln, the Dye and Stove House and the Office and Stables – will begin in September 2013.
In May 2012 the HLF awarded the project a first-round pass, plus £465,300 to spend on developing the plans ahead of a second-round bid.
Over the past six months the partners have been busy preparing the second round bid, and a number of supporting plans and documents – work that would normally take at least 18 months to complete.
Andy Evans, Shropshire Council’s head of economic growth and prosperity, said:
“To complete 18 months of work in just six months is a fantastic achievement, and a lot of credit and thanks must go to all who have worked so hard to prepare this bid, the supporting business plan and interpretation plan, and other supporting documents.
“We have put together a really strong bid and are confident that it will be successful.”
If funding is secured this summer, work to renovate the main buildings on the site would begin in September 2013, and they could be open to the public, and be the workplace for hundreds of people, as early as 2016.
Situated on the northern edge of the town, the internationally-important Flax Mill Maltings site reflects a time when Britain led the way in engineering innovation.
It comprises seven listed buildings, including the Main Mill, which was built in 1797 and is the world’s first iron-framed building and the forerunner of the modern skyscraper.
A decision on a bid for a further £6.6m of European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) funding is expected to be made this summer.
Businesses interested in finding out more about commercial opportunities at the Flax Mill Maltings should call Claire Cox on 01743 255617, email flaxmill@shropshire.gov.uk, or visit www.flaxmillshrewsbury.wordpress.com.
