The Real building at 6-8 St James Square where renovation work has now begun.
Published April 10, 2017 at 9:59
The next phase of an exciting £2m project to refurbish some of Bacup’s most historical buildings has now begun.
The 5-year Townscape Heritage Initiative in Bacup aims to restore and refurbish shop fronts and building facades, bring vacant floor space back into use, reinstate architectural features, perform structural work as well as involve local residents in aspects of the restoration process.
Rossendale Borough Council was successful in securing £1.5m from the Heritage Lottery Fund in 2013 to deliver the project.
The first phase saw work completed on the Pioneer Building and on the RSPCA shop at 33 St James Street.
The second phase, which began at the end of March, includes renovations to 23-31 St James Street and 6-8 St James Square (The Real Building.)
Accrington based firm, Rosslee Construction, will carry out the works working closely with Equilibrium Architects.
As part of the drive to include local people in the project, residents have already been on site being trained in some traditional building skills. A group from Rossendale recently worked with firm Restorative Techniques on cleaning the stone to the Real building.
They were shown how this effective way of stone cleaning, which involves using very high temperatures of water as oppose to pressure, delicately removes the dirt without damaging the stonework.
Work has also already begun on the first part of phase three, which has included Equilibrium Architects carrying out surveys to produce drawings for the next five properties.
Megan Eastwood, Bacup THI Project Manager, said:
I’m delighted that the second phase of this exciting project is now underway. We want to build on the fantastic work already carried out as part of the Bacup THI and help create an even more attractive environment for pedestrians, visitors and potential investors.
As part of the project, the THI team are hosting drop-in sessions in Bacup library every Monday (10-12pm) and Wednesday (1-3pm) to provide information and updates on the project.
For more information about the Bacup THI contact: Megan Eastwood on (01706) 252480, email: thi@rossendalebc.gov.uk or visit: www.bacupthi.org.uk