Extra £5 million needed for Shrewsbury Flax Mill site
Up to £5 million needs to be found to decontaminate Shrewsbury's Grade I listed Flax Mill site, English Heritage has revealed.
It has already received £2.6 million to create a visitor attraction at the Ditherington Flax Mill.
It also hopes to receive a further £12.8 million lottery grant to create offices and an exhibition space later. But now English Heritage has said it needs to find another £5m for the decontamination work.
Lauren Schofield, spokeswoman for English Heritage, said: "It's a standard part of a project of this nature as these sites have often functioned as many different things in their past."
Daniel Kawczynski, MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham, is to ask the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership for the additional funds.
The Partnership, set up five years ago, looks to regenerate the economies of Shropshire, Telford & Wrekin and Herefordshire through private and public sector projects.
Ms Schofield said: "This is for the wider site. There's no danger that stage one, the public realm, won't go ahead without it."
Mr Kawczynski said: "I have had extensive discussions with English Heritage this week.
"There is an early indicator that additional money will be required to clear up the site. I am going to see if the Local Enterprise Partnership can help out.
"I have written to the chairman of the Local Enterprise Partnership where I have said this development is a key priority for Shrewsbury.
"Whatever assistance is required to clear up the site, I am keen for them to consider funding it. We want to attract private sector involvement in the project."
It comes as the demolition of the redundant 1950s silo at the Flax Mill has now been completed.
