Funding deadline looms for Ancoats Dispensary
CAMPAIGNERS fighting to save the Ancoats Dispensary in Manchester still need to raise around £50,000 by February.
Ancoats Dispensary Trust (ADT) secured a commitment of £777,000 from the Heritage Lottery Fund in the summer which will be used to make the derelict grade II listed building safe prior to a bid for a full restoration grant.
A cheque for £315,000 was handed over but they must contribute a further £55,000 before the final £400,000 is released.
A crowdfunding campaign has been launched on the Spacehive website where a further £3,500 has been pledged.
ADT is working with heritage specialist Igloo Regeneration to work on a new future for the building as a “community and enterprise hub”. They see the site as having the potential to house medical facilities as well as space for community organisations and creative businesses employing up to 50 staff.
The building has been closed since 1989 and owned by Urban Splash since 2001. The Manchester developer had previously planned a project to bring it back to life by putting in commercial space and 16 apartments.
However, the scheme stalled when a £1m grant from the North West Development Agency fell through when the agency was abolished by the coalition government. In 2012 Urban Splash applied to demolish the building which had already lost its roof due to work that began before the prospect of funding vanished. In April 2013 councillors in Manchester were advised to give final approval to demolition works but they agreed to defer the decision and Urban Splash ultimately withdrew the application.
Amy-Grace Whillans-Welldrake, the ADT director organising the fundraising campaign, said: “The Dispensary has so much brilliant potential, to bring benefits to give to communities both locally and across Manchester – failure just isn’t an option.”
She added: “There isn’t any general civic space that could deliver what we’re proposing. We want to act as a hub for all the elements and groups that are active in the area.”
