Town centre's conservation area placed on at risk register

A town's crumbling conservation area has been included in Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register. A large part of Middleton's town centre has been added to the list.

The area includes the vast but empty Warwick Mill at a roundabout, a Grade I listed church, and buildings designed by prominent Arts and Crafts architect, draftsman, and artist, Edgar Wood, including magnificent houses in Manchester Old Road.

Over the past year, six historic buildings and sites have been added to the Register in the North West because they are at risk of neglect, decay or inappropriate development and three sites have been saved and their futures secured.

READ MORE: 'My headache was so bad I had to pull over in the Peak District... what a stranger did next blew me away'

READ MORE: 'People call me selfish for not wanting children... but I don't want to sacrifice my holidays and lie-ins'

Covering the pre-industrial core of the town, Middleton’s conservation area includes many notable buildings. The historic retail area is centred in Long Street and Market Place, behind which sits Jubilee Park and the Grade I listed medieval church of St Leonard's. Historic industrial buildings include Lodge Mill.

Historic England is a public body that champions and protects the country's historic heritage. It receives about £90m in grants and funding from the government's Department of Culture Media and Sport. It provides grants for repairs and research and carries clout when intervening over planning issues.

It says Middleton conservation area "has seen some loss of historical character, especially on Long Street and Market Place, as well as some vacant buildings, including the Grade II listed Providence Chapel. Highways alterations from the last