Buyer found for city's empty town hall building

A buyer has been found for a prominent building in Stoke-on-Trent which has been empty for five years.

An offer from Heronceau Properties to buy Hanley Town Hall has been accepted, Stoke-on-Trent City Council said.

The building started life as the Queen's Hotel in 1869 and was most recently a wedding venue until it closed in October 2020.

Heronceau director Simon Edwards said his plans for the building included residential accommodation, an event space, a coffee shop and an area for start-up businesses.

The council had put the property on the market for £500,000 but until now had not been able to secure a buyer for it.

Mr Edwards has previously spoken about how he became a Christian while in prison serving time for armed robbery.

He is also CEO of Walk Ministries, a charity he set up to provide rehabilitation for released prisoners or those who are at risk of being imprisoned.

The former Meir resident said he remembered walking into the city centre and seeing the building, and recalled how impressive it was in its heyday.

"We want to be able to bring that building back into use, and we want to get marriages back in there," he said.

"It's a massive part of the history of Stoke-on-Trent and it's a massive part of Hanley."

He said he had split the building into four zones with residential accommodation on the top floors, an event space in the former courtroom and council chambers, space for start-ups in the basement and the coffee shop.

"We see it as a building where people are going to come to visit again."

He added it had been well looked-after by the council and was structurally sound.

"We hear all the stuff about some of the historic buildings that are empty," he added.

"It takes a lot of ideas and it takes a lot of traction to get a building even brought [back into use], of this size and this magnitude."

A spokesperson for Stoke-on-Trent City Council said: "We can confirm that we have accepted an offer on Hanley Town Hall subject to planning permission and other required consent being obtained.

"We are working with Heronceau Properties to ensure the building is put to the best use for the local community."

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