17 Market Place

This project was prioritised for a number of reasons. Firstly, it brought a derelict Grade II Listed high street building back into repair and economic use. Secondly, it addressed the imbalance between the local skills demand and provision by providing a larger high street location for Business Support & Development Ltd (BSD), a local business support and training provider. This secured the future of BSD’s services within the town and the vacation of their former premises has made way for the creation of a youth facility in Bedale.

The project set out to renovate and bring back into use a listed building in a significant central site in the town that was having a detrimental impact on the Market Place due to its state of neglect. 17 Market Place is a 3 storey property, formerly a DIY and hardware shop, it had been unoccupied since May 2004 and was in an extremely poor state of repair. The ground floor had a number of changes in levels and required extensive refurbishment and structural work, the upper floors were only just accessible and the rear 2 storey range had remained sealed off and unused for many years. The difficulties involved in refurbishing the ground floor alone meant that there has been little interest in the property and without the intervention of the RMT programme it was unlikely that the premises would ever be fully redeveloped and reused.

The project had wider benefits as a tenant for the refurbished property had already been identified. BSD a provider of business support and training services was restricted by its existing premises on Bridge Street and the renovation of 17 Market Place provided an opportunity for it to take on larger premises with a more prominent high street presence and, in turn, to increase the services it delivered. In spite of being located in relatively poor premises, BSD was the top performing Business Link sub-franchisee in the sub region, serving Hambleton and Richmondshire, and it needed to secure new premises to continue to deliver its services.

As it was not possible to obtain a straight freehold purchase of 17 Market Place, Hambleton District Council agreed a 99 year lease with the owner with a view to sub-letting to BSD. In the event that the property should ever come onto the market, the Council has first option to purchase. The shop unit next door is also included in the head-lease, but apart from re-roofing under the main contract, this part of the building is in a usable condition and has remained in retail use.

The project completely refurbished the premises and brought them back into an economic use. This entailed completely re-roofing the property, undertaking extensive structural work and the replacement of joinery and plasterwork throughout the entire building. North of England Civic Trust oversaw these works to ensure that the requirements arising from the Grade II listing of the building were met. The refurbishment works were subject to competitive tendering and the lowest tender received (£428,647) was accepted as a fixed cost for the project. The project ran relatively smoothly, though some additional structural works became necessary that could not have been anticipated until the work began. The project was also the subject of a small increase in investment when the internal fit out costs for wiring etc, went over budget. This resulted in an additional £25,000 investment by Yorkshire Forward.

The project has significant outputs associated with it resulting from the increased capacity of BSD.  Some aspects of these have proven challenging because of the changes to the Business Link structures and delivery models in the region.  During the project, Business Link York and North Yorkshire ended its contracts with its sub-franchisees and this affected BSD’s operations. This had the affect significantly reducing BSD’s income and it was forced to draw on its reserves for a period of time.  Despite this, BSD has remained committed to the project. 

Any surplus rental income (approx. £10,000 - £13,000 per annum) generated by the letting of 17 Market Place is split between Hambleton District Council and Yorkshire Forward.  Yorkshire Forward invests its returns from the surplus income into the Bedale and Villages Community Plan Forum to fund other renaissance activity.

Funding

Yorkshire Forward’s contribution was £340,000 out of project costs of £557,000 with the remaining funding being provided by Hambleton District Council.

Fore more information please contact:

Mark Haynes
Delivery Manager
Hambleton District Council
Civic Centre
Stone Cross
Northallerton
DL6 2QP
01609 767056
mark.haynes@hambleton.gov.uk

Jacquie Boulton
Yorkshire Forward
Spitfire House
Aviator Court
Clifton Moor
York
YO30 4GY
01904 696711
jacquie.boulton@yorkshire-forward.com