£30m for Yorkshire cultural projects get the green light
Three prominent cultural projects across Yorkshire have finally secured the £30m Government funding package earmarked for their ambitious redevelopment.
The investment into York’s National Railway Museum and the British Library North and National Poetry Centre in Leeds was originally proposed early last year. The projects then came under threat after the Budget in October when the Treasury was believed to be “minded to withdraw funding”.
However, following a consultation, the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government has now confirmed its commitment to the investment. The Government said the funding is designed to drive a “decade of national” renewal under its Plan for Change, creating jobs and boosting regional development.
The £15m allocated to the National Railway Museum will go towards the museum’s £95m masterplan which includes the construction of a new Central Hall.
The British Library North will receive £10m to transform Temple Works, the former flax-spinning mill in the city’s South Bank area, into a new public space for the library.
The brainchild of the Poet Laureate Simon Armitage, the National Poetry Centre has secured £5m for the development of its groundbreaking £20m centre in Leeds. The investment will help transform the iconic Trinity St David’s church on Woodhouse Lane into the UK’s first ever dedicated national cultural centre for poetry.
Simon, who is also professor of Poetry at the University of Leeds, said: “Thanks to this excellent news, the National Poetry Centre will become a reality. Poetry is enjoying a surge of popularity, offering people from every walk of life an accessible and memorable means of expression. Leeds, at the heart of Britain and the crossroads of the country, is the perfect place for a national and international headquarters.”
Councillor James Lewis, leader of Leeds City Council, said the council welcomed the funding confirmation. He said: “We have worked hard in recent months with our partners and together we were able to emphasise the importance of the scheme and the economic and social benefits it would bring to Leeds, West Yorkshire and the North, not least through engagement and connections with local communities.”
Mayor of York and North Yorkshire David Skaith, who only last week called for confirmation of the funding, said: “We’ve argued the case for this funding with Government since it announced a review last year. This decision shows the faith the Government has in York and North Yorkshire to deliver growth.”
