Visionary design for city's 'front porch'

Stanley Dock has been largely dis-used since the early 1980's and it has long been recognized that finding a sustainable new use for this outstanding complex of dock buildings is one of the greatest challenges for the World Heritage Site. 

The ground floor of the South Warehouse and the Tobacco Warehouse have been used in recent years for the popular Heritage Market, but this has been insufficient to generate enough funds to pay for the long-term maintenance of the buildings.

Over the years, many suggestions have been put forward for re-using, or even demolishing the buildings, but all have failed, largely because of the intrinsic difficulties of developing them. 


However, the City Council has been in discussion with the owners and English Heritage in recent months and is hopeful that an application for planning permission for the comprehensive conversion and restoration of the buildings will be submitted in the very near future.