Renovations on heritage Gower building in Telford begin

Renovation work on an iconic Telford building, The Gower, have begun, as Telford & Wreckin Council work to bring the facility back into public use.

The regeneration scheme will involve the creation of a new Parish Office for St Georges & Priorslee Parish Council and a new community room with a kitchen and catering area.

The former school and youth club built in 1873 was originally planned to be demolished when it closed in 2006. It was later granted Grade II-listed status for its architectural quality and historical significance and has been awarded extensive funding for renovations.

It’s hoped the new communal space will help to bring the community together through local events and activities. A new children’s play area was opened at the end of last year to open up the area to families and build on the building’s history.

13 new homes are also planned for the site, with three expected to be built in the southern wing of the building. Visitors and residents will all have access to electric car charging points to encourage low carbon transport.

Cllr Lee Carter, Cabinet Member for Neighbourhood, Commercial Services & Regeneration said: ‘I am delighted that work has started on the regeneration of The Gower in St Georges meaning that we are one step closer in bringing this iconic building back into use which will benefit local residents for years to come. For years, many national bodies had failed to come forward with funding to renovate the building and I am pleased the Council has been able to fill that void.

‘As a council we have worked hard to ensure a scheme is bought forward which both protects this important heritage building and also provides a facility for use by the local community.

‘New play facilities at a nearby site, good quality homes, a community room which will see family and friends come together are all key elements of this renovation scheme.’

Local lettings company Nuplace will be tasked with providing the 13 houses, with construction work to be delivered by Lovell and work to be completed by the summer of 2024.

Pictures provided by Richard Law https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/ and Telford & Wrekin Council