Burslem Market Hall — a quick update

I’m a bit bloody annoyed that the family camera’s data storage card was full, otherwise I’d have been able to share some great photos of the inside of the Market Hall, but alas that’s not possible :(

Anyhow, just a quick update that we showed a developer around the Market Hall yesterday. A big thanks to Sam from the Council who shifted his college day around to undertake the viewing.

The people we’re working with are died-in-the-wool developers. With a heart. Commercial, yes but not at the expense of the community. At the expense of business-as-usual, which means that partnering with them will give us the clout we need to really begin using the regeneration of the Market Hall as a springboard for the wider regeneration of Burslem town centre and Burslem as a whole.

They loved it.

Thanks to Neil Dawson for his ever-present optimism and love for his home town. And to Dave Proudlove too. Both were fabulous tour guides for people who have never set foot in the town.

Dave, the developer, has been to many towns that have lost their way — Morecambe, Hartlepool, Accrington — but they have never seen a town as beautiful and as neglected as Burslem.

So it was very satisfying to learn that they have bought into our vision.

I’m not going to go into details right now, but these guys are serious players with the investment captial to match.

What the Market Hall represents is an opportunity to open up a retail and leisure destination that is willing to accept payment or part-payment in “The Stoke Pound” — our locally issued community credit that is earned for eliminating waste.

So we’re not just regenerating a market hall, we’re creating a market for the elimination of waste.

More on all that to follow but a few thanks are in order for what was a great team effort.

Vicki who is representing the community of Middleport.

Annette who is representing the town centre community of Burslem retailers.

Dave for showing us around.

Neil for showing us around the beautiful School of Art.

Will and Patrick for hosting us up ‘at the Vale’.

My old mate Dave Skidmore who made the visit and trip possible.

And of course our guests — David, Vicky and Dan — what a team.

This is a great mix of diverse talent. Half from the community who are leading the project, and half from the regeneration community of Manchester and London who are here in support of it.

It’s time to serve our communities by helping them become an investible asset class.

We continue.