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The Halls regeneration

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The Halls project update - December 2010

HEART has been working on a regeneration project to develop and refurbish The Halls - St Andrew's and Blackfriars', on behalf of Norwich City Council, which owns the buildings.

The City Council, which has been supporting the emerging proposals for The Halls over the last five years, has now (December 2010) reached the reluctant conclusion that it is unable to take the project forward at this time, due to the significant financial commitment required for the project to progress.

The project will therefore now be put on hold for the next four to five years. HEART would like to thank everyone who has worked on and supported the project over the past few years. Work that has been done on the project to date will feed into future regeneration schemes of the buildings.

Michael Loveday, chief executive of Norwich HEART said: "Over the last four years, HEART has deployed funding from a range of sources to take forward The Halls project, and it now represents a well-developed scheme exploiting the skills of some of the top professionals who have a track record of achievement with similar challenges elsewhere. We are disappointed that further progress has for the time being been halted because of financial constraints. If and when circumstances change, HEART is ready to take up the challenge once more."

In announcing the decision, Cllr Alan Waters, cabinet member for resources, performance and shared services, said: "In these tough financial times our first priority has to be protecting front line services.

"An awful lot of hard work has gone into The Halls project to this point and we would like to thank all those involved. I must stress that this work will not be lost, and when the time is right for us to pick up this project again we will do so.

"For the time being the message is that The Halls are very much open for business as usual. The council will continue to manage them for the good of the city."

For further information please contact Katie Bayliss, communications officer at Norwich City Council, 01603 212009, katiebayliss@norwich.gov.uk.

About The Halls

The Halls - St Andrew's and Blackfriars - are the UK's most complete medieval friary complex, with a rich and diverse history spanning 700 years. These buildings have been a church, priory, school, granary, workhouse, building stores and a mint over the years. They have been owned by the City of Norwich since 1540 and are currently used for a variety of civic, community and private events. They also hold the country's largest collection of civic portraits.

Supported by HM Treasury's Invest to Save Budget