Wyre Forest District Council Planning Committee voted unanimously to approve plans to transform the, Listed Grade II, former Magistrates Court in Kidderminster at its meeting on Tuesday 18 January.
Architects Burrell Foley Fischer, working in consultation with North Worcestershire Economic Development Regeneration on behalf of Wyre Forest District Council, submitted applications for Planning Permission and Listed Building Consent to transform the building in Worcester Street, Kidderminster town centre.
Plans for the site redevelop the heritage building into a cultural and creative hub. The remodelled space will provide a range of flexible work, performance and production areas and co-working spaces in the main buildings and historic former weaving sheds.
The project which will create a unique public building, opening up the previously hidden spaces behind the 1879 façade of the original carpet factory, as a new home for the creative industries in Kidderminster and a new hub for the community. The historic Grade II Listed buildings will be retained and refurbished, giving them a sustainable future, as an integral part of the vision, supported by carefully designed new interventions which reference the Town’s Heritage.
The development of this site is being made possible through The Future High Streets Fund (FHSF) – the Government funding initiative to transform struggling high streets. Kidderminster has been awarded £20.5 million from this fund and the Creative Hub is one of three major projects underway which are all part of the long-term vision for the town.