Hunt begins for design team for Accrington’s £4.5m heritage centre

Hyndburn Council is encouraging architect-led design teams to bid for the up to £225,000 contract to transform Accrington’s grade two-listed Market Chambers into a 31,500 sq ft heritage, cultural, and arts centre.

All bids must be submitted before 7 January 2025. An evaluation consultant, cost consultant, interpretation planner, and exhibition designer are also being sought separately.

The council’s vision for the cultural centre found off Blackburn Road is one embedded in the community and able to provide “an immersive, multisensory, and flexible space” for residents and visitors to Accrington, according to government tender documents.

Market Chambers is a part three, part four-storey collective made up of three terraced buildings: Market Chambers, the former Bradshaw’s Building, and the former Woolworth Building.

In January, Hyndburn Council received £460,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund for the project, bringing the total funding secured for Accrington town centre’s wider regeneration since the beginning of 2022 to more than £60m.

To secure this National Lottery Heritage grant, a draft vision and plans for Market Chambers were drawn up by AEW Architects as a pitch for funding.

The council granted permission for a change of use of Market Chambers into a cultural hub, as well as for external repair work, in February.

Now, with greater engagement in the scheme, the council is looking for a partner to propose a redesign.

Following the appointment of a design team, Hyndburn Council will be bidding for a further £5m from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to support the delivery of the project.

The revamp of Market Chambers is one of three components to the wider £70m Accrington Town Square transformation, which includes Burtons Chambers’ transformation into a coworking space.

Accrington’s Victorian Market Hall restoration is the final third of the regeneration programme with plans for the listed building to become a food and drink venue.

A spokesperson from Hyndburn Council said: “Accrington Town Square is the focus of major regeneration, with over £70m of investment secured so far.

“The Market Chambers development is a piece in the puzzle which complements adjacent Town Square buildings including a vibrant food, drink, and retail offer in the Market Hall, a modern co-working space in Burtons Chambers and the events and ballroom facilities in Accrington Town Hall.”