Stoke-on-Trent City Council has agreed to invest more than £6.5 million to safeguard three of the city’s heritage buildings, ensuring they are preserved and ready for future use.
The funding will cover essential restoration and regeneration work at Burslem Indoor Market, the Wedgwood Institute in Burslem and the Falcon Works site in Hanley. A total of £2.599 million is earmarked for the Wedgwood Institute, £3.358 million for Burslem Indoor Market, and £625,000 for Falcon Works, with the money coming from the council’s Capital Programme.
The investment was approved by the council’s cabinet on Tuesday and forms part of a wider strategy to protect, restore and repurpose historic buildings across the city.
Levelling Up Partnership funds have contributed £700,000 towards a new roof at Burslem Indoor Market. A £1 million grant from Historic England, originally awarded in July 2025, was withdrawn in December. Officials have now submitted a further bid to Historic England for £200,000 to support the project.
The Wedgwood Institute has already received £600,000 from Levelling Up Partnership funds and a £318,966 grant from Historic England to ensure the building is weathertight and to prevent further damage.
Costs have risen due to emergency work required this summer to rebuild the north-east corner, after wet and dry rot were found affecting oak timbers, terracotta panels, and decorative ironwork.
At Falcon Works, the council is considering issuing an Urgent Works Notice to the owner to ensure preservation work is carried out. The allocated funds would cover minimum works needed to address urgent concerns if the owner does not comply.
Councillor Finlay Gordon-McCusker, cabinet member for transport, infrastructure and regeneration, told the meeting: “This is the moment where we as an administration decide whether we stabilise our heritage for the future or whether we allow it to decay and the opportunity walks away.”
He added: “Burslem Indoor Market, the Wedgwood Institute and the Falcon Works are not liabilities but they will become ones if we allow neglect to continue. Acting now is about control – controlling costs, controlling the fate of these places. It’s preparatory leadership stepping into the next phase so that regeneration can happen on solid ground.”
Councillor Chris Robinson added: “I have always had a soft spot for Burslem Market. Years ago I had two market stalls in there so I can remember the hustle and bustle of the market at its height with the Doulton’s factory. It is sad to see where it has gone now. I think this decision is the right decision. We can’t keep letting it decay and kicking the can down the street.”
Also at Tuesday’s meeting, cabinet members agreed to write off more than £1.2 million of irrecoverable debt. The money owed included £556,087 in unpaid council tax and £623,648 in unpaid business rates.
They also wrote off £379,022 in business rates owed by Cineworld, River Island and Poundland, which had entered into restructuring plans sanctioned by a High Court decision.
Council leader Jane Ashworth said: “Nobody wants to write debt off, and so I think it’s important to explain exactly why we have to do it, particularly when we are so cash-strapped as a council.
“Of the £1.2 million, about £1.15 million is being written off due to bankruptcy or liquidation, so there is nothing for us to be able to get after. Of the remaining money, £65,000 is being written off due to the debtor absconding.”
I believe if the council can afford to write off over 6.5 million, on abandoned heritage sites, that cost 5 times the up keep due to crazy rules and then also 1.8 million in council tax and funding, why can they not use these funds to give to existing businesses to help grow the economy locally. Its a disaster the whole local economy is blown away. Look at all the empty shops the empty offices the number of monkey dust generation with no hope or feeling of worth in a area that only good to film zombie cult films says everything for the area.
I love Stoke on Trent i am proud to be a potter, identity is everything in the area, we have lost the keep it local look at all the London investors that are coming in. We need positive investment to bring betterment to the area provides a desire to stay and be part of the area and community.
The area is a hard working area, we have been the engine room of industry either with coal or pottery or steelworks, I do believe we can be great again with some positive thinking and new asperations to give business a desire to stay expand and make this city great again.
Phil Taylor