Grainger Town

About

Grainger Town occupies much of the southern part of the city centre of Newcastle upon Tyne and takes its name from a series of elegant, classical streets built by Richard Grainger in the 1830s and 1840s, at the end of the Georgian period. Richard Grainger was a local born urban developer who greatly influenced the development in the city between the 1820s and 1840s. The centrepiece of Grainger Town, Grey Street, which has a wonderful rising curve, is widely acknowledged as ‘the finest Classical street in England’. However, the historical significance of the area is not confined to the Grainger period, as the area nowadays known as Grainger Town also includes medieval streets, a 13th century Dominican Friary of Blackfriars and remnants of the old Town Wall. After Grainger’s days, the area was furthermore extended with many fine Victorian commercial buildings. Almost all of Grainger Town is within Newcastle’s Central Conservation Area. Although there are some grand buildings, such as the Theatre Royal, the former Bank of England and Grainger Market, most of the original buildings are quite small, but they are joined together to form terraces with beautifully proportioned facades. Grainger Town has approximately 450 buildings, of which 244 are listed. [1;2]

For years, Grainger Town declined physically and economically as the city’s retail centre shifted north. By the 1990s the area had an atmosphere of neglect with fine, classical buildings underused and decaying, and a public realm in poor condition. Seven of a total of 50 listed historical buildings ended up in the Heritage at Risk Register. [2]

The initiative aimed to turn Grainger Town into a dynamic and competitive location in the heart of the city, as a mixed-use, historic urban quarter. A safe and attractive location to work, live and visit, appropriate to a major European regional capital. To achieve that, processes of economic decline and physical decay of historical buildings needed to be turned around. The Grainer Town Partnership was mainly concerned with improving the public realm, executing and/or stimulating renovations, among others by implementing funding programmes for the private sector and stimulating confidence of the private sector in Grainger Town as a good place for investing. To realise this, the Grainger Town Partnership has designed extensive communication to private partners, in the form of handbooks and guides about different funding programmes, conservation methods and ideas for the reuse of historic buildings. A wider regeneration agenda, focusing on among others improving employment prospects, education opportunities and social inclusion, was also part of the programme. [3;4]

An independent study conducted by St Chad’s College, Durham University, showed that in 2006, three years after the official ending of the project, many of the project’s targets were met. At that stage, the project had created 2179 jobs (target: 1900), conducted 5080 educational events (target: 5415), created 309 new businesses (target 199), built 517 new residential units (target: 522) and brought 131 buildings back into use (target: 70). Furthermore, the project had attracted £177.880.000 (approximately €214.831.000) of private investment (target £74.000.000, approximately €89.372.000). At the same time, this report also points out that continued effort is needed to keep up the investment and development, as the area is of a sensitive nature and maintenance intensive. [2]

Governance

The project plan for Grainger Town was designed by English Partnerships, Newcastle City Council and Historic England (then English Heritage). The Grainger Town project was implemented by the Grainger Town Partnership, a company limited by guarantee set up in 1997. The board of Grainger Town Partnership was comprised of 20 members, including representatives from the City Council, key public agencies, private sector representatives and local residents. [1;3;4]

Because many of the buildings in Grainger Town are in private ownership, it was important to create a strong connection to private stakeholders in the area. Next to the Partnership, forums for business and residents took place monthly, and six advisory panels for specific aspects of the programme, for example, urban design and public arts, were erected. Implementation of actions was led a by delivery team of 17 officers, based within Grainger Town. This team served as a one-stop-shop for private stakeholders interested in participating in the project. [1;3;4]

Business Model

The project was led by public investments, principally from the Single Regeneration Budget (£11.000.000/€13.285.000) and English Partnerships/One North East (£25.000.000/€30.193.250). In total, about £40.000.000 (€48.309.200) of public money was invested. [1]

Over the lifetime of the project, more than 70 funding schemes, with a total value of £35.000.000 (€42.270.550), were administered by the Grainger Town Partnership. These funding schemes ranged support to convert space above shops into living accommodation, financial aid for restoration and conservation of heritage at risk, support to business start-ups and support for artistic and cultural projects. [1]

The partnership succeeded in attracting private funding to the area as well. In 2006, a total of approximately £177.880.000 (€214.831.000) of private investment was recorded. This largely exceeded the project’s original target of £74.000.000 (€89.372.000). A factor that contributed to this success is the extensive communication campaign that was set up to convince private investors that Grainger Town was a good location for investments. This campaign was evidenced by significant public investments. [1;4]