Case Studies
The Prince's Regeneration Trust (PRT) - Salt Warehouse and No.4 Warehouse, West Yorkshire
The Salt Warehouse, listed Grade II and dating from the early 19th century, and the 18th century Number 4 Warehouse, listed Grade II* and dating from the 18th century are located at Sowerby Bridge in West Yorkshire.
They were designed and built as part of a trans-shipment depot at the junction of the Calder and Hebble Navigation, the Rochdale Canal and a former turnpike.
The closure of the Rochdale Canal in 1952 isolated Sowerby Bridge at the end of a canal section and the canal and wharf buildings attracted little attention or investment until the renewal of interest in canals for leisure in the 1970s. By this time, years of neglect had left the buildings on the wharf underused and dilapidated.
Regeneration Through Heritage, now part of The Prince’s Regeneration Trust (PRT), created the Sowerby Bridge Wharf Partnership allowing the council, community and stakeholders to form a vision of development centred on a working boatyard and associated water-based activities. This, and other emerging evidence of real commitment to the regeneration of the Salt Warehouse and Warehouse No 4 encouraged around £1m of other development on the wharf.
Extensive discussions, initiated by RTH, between British Waterways, Calderdale MBC and local people represented by the Sowerby Bridge Community Forum concluded that residential development would have deprived boaters and locals of a valuable resource and done little to enhance the local economic environment. It was considered essential that the special work-a-day character of the basin, together with the ancillary businesses, which support boat use, were retained and developed further.
Through a solution of mixed use, business space, workshops and retail Sowerby Bridge Wharf 2006 is now thriving. Most of the office space has been filled, there are two new restaurants, a pub, a coffee house, a hairdresser and a physiotherapist- all this and a very busy boat workshop with holiday narrow boats to hire and a small trip boat in the summer.
Realising the Partnership vision of a revitalised development centred round a working boatyard bringing activity and interest to the town centre has seen a gem of the canal age saved from demolition and decay.
Click here to visit The Prince's Regeneration Trust website.