There are scores of disused public buildings up for sale by local authorities and property and private landlords. Everywhere around us there are libraries, courthouses, cinemas, shops, offices and churches which are full of character, crying out to be saved and put to uses that meet the needs of today’s public.
With more people working remotely and businesses reducing the size of their offices or getting rid of the post war era status symbol ‘Head Office’, these landmarks often have huge potential to be reinvigorated to meet the growing demand of today’s workforce. They can be reborn as mixed-use developments offering co-working facilities, serviced offices, conference and meeting spaces, short stay apartments, cafes and bars. At Wyboston Lakes Resort we have experienced the demand for these facilities growing significantly during and since the pandemic, especially since our co working space opened recently to complement our serviced offices and meetings spaces.
What the country and these buildings lack is people in both the public and private sector with vision that goes beyond demolition. At the same time as converting many properties into much needed housing, we need to put more thought into creating facilities that will enhance the community and help regenerate the area overall.
We at Wyboston Venue Management are discussing with owners who want to bring such buildings back to life, on how to design, build and manage these new facilities. We’re also helping build the business case for the repurposing facilities that will be attractive to councils as part of an urban redevelopment plan for inward investment.
Wouldn’t it be great to see many once great buildings saved, repurposed, contributing again and meeting the needs of today rather than lying derelict and decaying?
