Newcastle listed building receives £228k to boost regeneration project

A Newcastle regeneration project has received a six-figure funding boost following delays caused by the pandemic.

The Common Room, formerly known as The Mining Institute, has received a Capital Kickstart Fund award of £228k from the government’s Culture Recovery Fund.

The funding will go towards the regeneration of the Grade II listed building on Westgate Road, which has been delayed as a result of the pandemic.

The Common Room is in the final stages of a two-year programme of works to preserve the building and to create a new hub for innovation and learning in Newcastle city centre.

Liz Mayes, chief executive of The Common Room, commented: “This grant means that we can overcome some of the challenges we have faced due to Covid-19.

“The Common Room project is more than just a heritage restoration and thanks to support from our funders we can deliver on our plans to use our region’s heritage to inspire the next generation of innovators and engineers - a mission that is all the more important given the economic climate and its impact on prospects for young people.”

“This grant gives us the ability to upgrade ventilation in the building to become a safer space to deliver our charitable objectives, support jobs, enable recruitment and underpin our operating costs for the coming 18 months.

Oliver Dowden, culture secretary, said: “From restoring Georgian lidos and Roman baths to saving local screens and synagogues, our Culture Recovery Fund is helping to save the places people can’t wait to get back to, when it is safe to do so.

“All over the country, this funding is protecting the venues that have shaped our history and make us proud of our communities, whilst safeguarding the livelihoods of the people that work in them.”