Anglesey Council’s project to rejuvenate the iconic Market Hall in Holyhead has been shortlisted for three national awards.
The ambitious project to revitalise the Market Hall was finished in September, and the building is now home to the town’s library and provides an exciting new event and meeting space for the local community and offices for new and growing businesses.
The project has now been short-listed for the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) Awards for Planning Excellence 2020, Excellence in Planning for Heritage and Culture category and Royal institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Social Impact Awards 2020, both in the Heritage and Infrastructure categories.
The RTPI awards recognise best practice by highlighting exceptional examples of planning and celebrating the contribution that planners and planning make to society. The RICS awards aim to showcase world class examples of how the built environment can have a direct positive social and environmental impact on society
County Council staff worked tirelessly for a number of years to ensure that the Grade II listed building could once again becomes a focal point for Holyhead and its residents. Originally built in 1855, the former Market Hall had lain derelict in the heart of the town centre for more than a decade before works began in 2017.
Securing Heritage Lottery Fund, Welsh Government and European Regional Development Funding to repair and reuse the building, has meant that the vast majority of the conservation and reuse project was externally funded.
Heritage Regeneration Project Manager, Nathan Blanchard, said, “We’re first and foremost delighted to have been able to revitalise this important historic building on behalf of the people of Holyhead. To, now, be shortlisted for three prestigious national awards, by the RTPI and RICS, is also fantastic and testament to the perseverance, skill and craftsmanship of everyone who worked on this exciting project. It also reflects the invaluable ongoing support of the community through the long process of acquiring the building, securing the funding and the transition from an empty and derelict building, contributing to community life once again.”
The County Council became involved with Holyhead Market Hall after concerns were raised about its worsening condition more than a decade ago. Despite efforts to find a solution, the County Council was forced to use its statutory powers, which led to the previous owner being served with a Compulsory Purchase Order in 2015. Following a public inquiry, Welsh Ministers transferred ownership of the building to the Council in late July 2016.
Anglesey’s Planning portfolio holder, Richard Dew said, “Such remarkable large historic buildings are irreplaceable and the story of their use by past generations lost if no one intervenes. Such buildings in our townscapes often need to be found different uses if their future is to be secured and new stories for the next generation created.”
“This was an ambitious project which aimed to preserve an important civic building and a significant part of Holyhead’s rich history and heritage. It has now created a focal point for the local community and a meaningful space for its residents and local business.”
Ends 3.3.20