City 'at tipping point' in fight to save heritage

Stoke-on-Trent is "facing a tipping point" when it comes to protecting its heritage, the city council has said.

The authority was responding after the Tower Square conservation area in Tunstall and the Grade II-listed Hartshill Cemetery were added to Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register.

It came a year after Hulton Abbey and Burslem conservation area were put on the list, which highlights the country's most vulnerable heritage assets.

A council spokesperson said it welcomed Historic England's decision, describing it as an important step towards securing their future.

The additions should not be regarded as a criticism, they added, but "as a means of highlighting the significant challenges facing these sites".

"It's also an acknowledgement that the challenges facing these sites may require resources beyond those available locally," the spokesperson continued. "That's precisely why we declared a heritage emergency earlier this year.

"The issues affecting many of Stoke-on-Trent's historic assets are bigger than any one organisation can solve alone and require significant public and private investment.

"We're clear that Stoke-on-Trent is facing a tipping point in protecting its heritage."

When it declared the heritage emergency in January, the authority called for £325m of public and private investment to help save some of the city's most important historical sites.

Work was already being carried out in Tunstall to protect its heritage, the council added, including repairs to the clock tower.

Plans were also being developed for emergency repairs to the mortuary chapels at Hartshill Cemetery.

"We can and are taking action, including using enforcement powers and investing in heritage assets we own," the spokesperson said.

"But we can't solve the heritage emergency alone. Protecting Stoke-on-Trent's historic buildings will require a shared effort from owners, partners, investors and government."

Historic England said progress was being made on the protection of Burslem conservation area after it was added to the register in 2025.

The area has the Wedgwood Institute, the market hall and various other historical ceramics industry structures dating back to the 18th and 19th Centuries.

Projects to preserve these sites include the work to repair the market hall, which recently received a £1m funding boost.

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