A council executive has agreed to bid for £2.5m to bring the Old Town Hall back to life.

There has already been £1.3m of Town’s Fund cash invested in the Grade II building to make it structurally safe.

The Old Town Hall dates back to 1846 making it one of the oldest buildings in Middlesbrough and has stood empty for more than 20 years.

The council plan to submit a bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund and it has to express an interest by September. A full application will then be submitted in May 2023.

Mayor Andy Preston, who was not in attendance at the executive meeting, said: “This part of Middlesbrough has not seen such major and rapid development since the Old Town Hall was itself built 176 years ago at the heart of St Hilda’s.

"There would be no better tribute to the history and heritage of Middlesbrough than to once put this beautiful building at the centre of what we want to achieve and make it a beacon of our ambitions.

“I’m delighted we have the funding in place and the plan to make the Old Town Hall structurally safe and secure for future generations but we’ll only rest when it’s brought fully back to life by doing a first-rate job. We’ll be submitting a really strong bid and hope to show just how important the Old Town Hall is to Middlesbrough, both in historic terms and what it could mean to the town’s future.”

It is proposed that the Old Town Hall be redeveloped to support the creative and digital sectors which will include the renovation of the main building. The Clock Tower would be restored and repaired to full working order and the 1970s extension be demolished and replaced with a new extension that would take inspiration from the original market hall.

The extension could be used for workshops, a cafe and a place where creatives could potentially exhibit/sell their work. There may also be the option to reintroduce small outdoor markets to the area.

Conservative deputy mayor Mieka Smiles said: “I am hugely in favour of this report and happy with the approach we are going to be taking. I have long been an advocate for the redevelopment of the Old Town Hall and before this new administration it had been left to rack and ruin.”

Other regeneration work in the area includes Boho X, the new Outwood Riverside secondary school, and the proposals for an Eton-College-backed sixth form. An application for outline planning permission was lodged for 500 homes at St Hilda’s last May – a decision has still not been made.

Conservative group leader and executive member David Coupe said: “I am delighted we are going down the line to sort it out. I know there are limitations without the grant but it’s something quite close to my heart. I have seen St Hilda’s over the years be wrecked and I think this is a step in the right direction.”

In the past, the Old Town Hall has been used as a police station, market hall, library, and community centre.

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