Plans in for £4.5m Millom Arts Centre
The former Natwest bank on St George’s Road is to be converted as part of the Cumbria town’s £20.6m government funding package.
Millom Arts Centre is one of the projects Cumberland Council is hoping to deliver with the help of its Town Deal cash.
Located within Millom’s conservation area, the £4.5m proposal will see the demolition of dilapidated outrigger building elements and the creation of a single-storey café extension that connects to the existing ground floor of the former bank.
The whole bank building will be refurbished, with a maker’s market and small retail spaces at ground floor to showcase and exhibit the products of those working on the upper floors of the building.
The first floor will house 4 start-up business spaces alongside coworking areas. The second floor will contain 3 lettable workshops, shared studio spaces and long term studios.
To learn more about the project, search for application reference 4/23/2246/0F1 on Cumberland Council’s planning portal.
The scheme will see the restoration of a listed building and is aimed at driving footfall and increasing the mix and density of uses within the town centre, according to OPEN, which is leading on design.
These include:
- Improving transport links between Millom and Haverigg
- Creation of a town centre leisure and health hub
- Upgrades to the Iron Line, a coastal lagoon and visitor attraction.
The Millom Arts Centre falls within the fourth scope of the Town Deal programme, which centres around reactivating heritage buildings.
While OPEN is advising on urban design, architecture, and landscape, WSP is the engineer for the project and Bernadette Bone Studio is advising on heritage.
- Credit: via OPEN
- Credit: via OPEN
This is great news 😀
By Kevin Smith
Will the professional and technical people that are too run the new building venture give and train our youth and talented children of which we have many to gain further knowledge and buisness opportunities for future employers on a rolling scale kind regards
By Stephen conner
How wonderful to restore the building and provide accommodation and creative spaces for those you mention. The icing on the cake would be a space within your plans for local people generally to play an active part with an affordable space for a family arts programme, age friendly creative workshops, a space that young people could be creative, learn new skills including how to showcase and exhibit their work. There are youth workers and others in the community in Millom to help and engage and really encourage participation in the new developments and be real stakeholders. Just a thought or two … Good Luck.
By Colette