Chinese delegation to visit Shrewsbury’s historic Flax Mill Maltings
A delegation from China’s National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) is to visit Shrewsbury’s historic Flax Mill Maltings next week to learn more about the history of the site, and see the world’s first iron-framed building.
On Wednesday 29 May 2013 a party of 23 senior regional development experts from the NDRC – which studies and formulates economic and social development policies on behalf of the Chinese government – is visiting the West Midlands.
They are visiting the region to mark the start of the third year of the European Union’s Chinese European Training on Regional Policy (CETREGIO) programme. The programme aims to offer Chinese regional experts a source of reference when setting their own regional development policies, to share examples of best practice, and to strengthen links between European and Chinese regions.
After a visit to the new i54 business park near Wolverhampton, the Chinese delegates will head to Shrewsbury, where they will be given a tour of the Flax Mill Maltings site.
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.
Work to restore and bring back into use the Main Mill, the Kiln, the Dye and Stove House and the Office and Stables is due to begin in September 2013, if funding bids to the Heritage Lottery Fund for £12.8m and European Regional Development Fund for £6.6m are successful.
Mal Price, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for built environment, said:
“I’m really pleased that this delegation from China will be visiting Shrewsbury next week to find out about the Flax Mill Maltings and the history of the site. The Flax Mill Maltings is an internationally-important collection of buildings so it’s great that they are attracting interest from as far afield as China. We’re looking forward to showing our visitors around and telling them about our future plans for the site.”
Alan Mosley, Chairman of the Friends of the Flax Mill Maltings, said:
“We are delighted to be welcoming the Chinese guests for a very exciting visit. From i54’s current cutting edge development they will be coming to our site which was a world leader 225 years ago. They will learn how we will regenerate it to become an innovative centre for business, learning and community uses for the next 100 years.”
About the Chinese European Training on Regional Policy (CETREGIO) programme
Since 2010, over 100 Chinese decision makers from all 33 provincial level regions have been able to share experiences and to visit examples of best practice in more than 40 regions of 13 European Union member states, with experts from several EU member states visiting China.
The information and training sessions have covered a wide range of regional development issues including: regional policy legislation; statistical information systems; innovation and clusters; territorial cohesion; urban-rural linkages; and sustainable urban development.
