Funding on hand to bring historic structures back into use

Grants of between £5,000 and £450,000 are being made available for either feasibility studies or projects under the transforming county anchor project being run by Swansea Council and funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

Community groups and organisations are eligible for 100% of the costs, with private sector applicants eligible for up to 70%.

To be eligible to apply to the fund, the end use of the building must include commercial floorspace. Proposals which are purely residential schemes or schemes that create student accommodation will not be considered.

Cllr Robert Francis-Davies, Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Investment, Regeneration and Tourism, said: “We have a proud track record of bringing Swansea’s historic buildings back to life, with examples including Penderyn recently opening up a distillery and visitor centre at the Hafod-Morfa Copperworks, as well as ongoing work to conserve the Palace Theatre.

“There are many other historic structures across Swansea that could be conserved and brought back into beneficial use though, so we’re now encouraging expressions of funding interest from community groups, custodians, other organisations or the private sector.

“We recognise the importance of Swansea’s rich heritage, which is why this project is among many due to be funded by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.”

The council say that expressions of interest with proposal overviews should be emailed to TransformingCounty@swansea.gov.uk by 13 September. Further information and guidance on eligibility is available at www.swansea.gov.uk/historicstructuresfunding.

(Lead image: Swansea Council)