The Brigg Town Scheme is worth £20,000 pa.

A Shopfront grant offers up to 50% towards the costs of a replacement or a repaired softwood traditional shopfront. As part of the Historic Building repairs grants, there is a total budget of £40,000 pa for the Borough Area.

Conservation Area Enhancement Grant to encourage small schemes of work that fall outside of other grant regimes. (£5,000 pa for Brigg.)

Courts and Yards Grant to assist in repaving schemes. £50,000.

The Flexible Response Budget of the project can pump prime small scale improvements, £20,000 approx.

The Project works closely with the Conservation Officer in a pro-active role, approaching property owners and businesses to upgrade their premises and make full use of the grants available. As an independent middleman the Project Leader can knock on doors with an impartiality that the Borough Council can never have. In some circumstances an application that is ‘sticking’ or is deadlocked with the Authority can be progressed via the Project and an agreeable compromise found. The Devil’s Advocate role of the Project Leader played carefully with the help of the conservation team has proven quite effective. In many cases a desire by the owner to improve the premises exists but the single proprietor type of business so prevalent in Brigg lacks the time to sort out the various statutory requirements, or to find suitable architects and contractors. The Project can overcome these early hurdles by arranging meetings with the different parties at the owner’s convenience. These informal early discussions will frequently mean a speedier processing of the application, and at least in theory a satisfied owner.

The Glanford Buildings Preservation Trust was set up by the Conservation Officer at the commencement of the Project. Both the Conservation Officer and the Project Leader sit on the Board in an advisory capacity. The Trust is at present looking at a number of buildings. Its first project in Barton upon Humber is a small Georgian terrace with a surprisingly high quality timber framed wing on the rear dating back to 1415. Other potential projects in Brigg have been picked up by the private sector and progressed via the Town Scheme.

One particularly difficult spot listed building in Brigg became the subject of a Local Inquiry into a consent to demolish. The Authority (against officer’s advice) supported demolition but the Planning Inspector rejected it. The owner was still feeling bruised. The Authority was unwilling to serve Notices and appeared to be

prepared to allow the building (which is sheeted down) to deteriorate. The Regeneration Project and the Preservation Trust commissioned a feasibility study to investigate the possibility of an ‘honest’ refurbishment.

It is hoped that the Project may be able to bring an impartial view on the way forward, having given careful consideration to both the Inspectors’ findings and the financial implications. The owner may

then decide either to complete the refurbishment himself or to pass it on for the Trust to carry out.

The Project works closely with the local schools. There is a wealth of material in the everyday workings of the Project that matches national curriculum requirements. The environment of Brigg fulfills topic areas in History, Geography, English, Technology and Mathematics. The use of professionals in the classroom offers an opportunity to educate youngsters in the special requirements of older buildings and in my experience captures the teacher’s and children’s imagination by the use of case studies. The educative role of the Conservation Team is one that should be developed as awareness of environmental matters has never been higher. The Project is putting together a training day for teachers that will hopefully develop resource packs for the various national curriculum attainment targets. Material can be culled from applications, photographs, old maps and plans etc.

Progress to date has been encouraging. The Brigg Town Scheme has been consistently overcommitted. Three substantial development/refurbishment schemes have been completed over the last two years, accounting for £1.9 million in total development costs. Grant aid was forthcoming from the Town Scheme, English Tourist Board, EEC and the RDC. A host of smaller schemes was also completed assisting windows, roofs and pointing etc. In the present financial year, four property owners have already submitted substantially grant aided refurbishments under the Town Scheme, with total development costs estimated at £350,000. Discussions are in hand with owners of another two premises of a similar nature and scale.

The key to all of this economic activity is the £3 million bypass and business park scheme, recently started on site and due for completion at the end of 1992. The scheme will open up possibilities to pedestrianise the Market Place and Wrawby Street, the other main shopping area. Given the magnitude of such public investment, there are clearly still many opportunities for private sector initiatives and conversely the fulfilment of many community aspirations through planning agreements. The Project is in an ideal position to galvanise and direct such initiatives.

If the plight of Brigg sounds familiar, and from discussions with delegates at the Brighton Annual School much of it will, then I would suggest you contact either me or the Civic Trust for further information. The next 10 years promises to see a great many more community partnerships.

Rob Lawron can be contacted ar: 23 Wrawby Street, Brigg, Humberside DN20 8JJ, tel: 0652 55972.

Improvement schemes for various shops are already under consideration.

The refurbished chapel in Wrawby Street.

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