Burtons Chambers to kickstart Accrington town centre investment
Planning approval has been granted for the first of the applications required to deliver the £70m Accrington Town Square transformation, led by Hyndburn Council with AEW Architects and RLB among the project team.
Originally a workplace with commercial units on the ground floor, Burtons Chambers is an important Art Deco heritage asset in the town square. The building had become increasingly unoccupied over recent decades.
Designed by AEW Architects, with LDA on planning and RLB as programme director, the scheme will enable the 19,000 sq ft Chambers to be repurposed as a coworking space across the whole building.
Money from the Levelling Up Fund allowed for the building to be restored, with initial enabling works delivered by Morgan Sindall. CBRE is supporting Hyndburn Council to choose an operator for the workspace.
The Accrington Town Square Transformation scheme also includes:
- Market Hall: This listed Victorian Market Hall will be extensively refurbished to become a food and drink destination. Leisure agent Barker Proundlove is advising the council
- Market Chambers: A group of stone-fronted buildings, will be refurbished and restored into a single heritage, cultural and arts space.
It is hoped the renovation of these buildings will support the town centre’s regeneration and investment, driving footfall, supporting existing businesses, and attracting diverse new activities.
The project team also includes AECOM, Hive project management, Donald Insall heritage architect, Civic Engineers, SI Sealey building services engineer, and MAC Construction Consultants.
The funding cocktail for the square has come from a variety of sources: LUF, the council, Lancashire County Council’s LUF, UK Shared Prosperity Fund and National Lottery Heritage Fund.
