Castlegate Preservation Trust Registered Charity Number 1170599 Annual report for year ending 31 December 2021 Registered Office: 30 Muskoka Avenue Sheffield S11 7RL Trustees during the reporting year: Valerie Bayliss (chair), Neil Berry, Brian Holmshaw and Janet Ridler. Mr Holmshaw resigned during the year on securing election to the City Council. Ms Ridler resigned in 2022, for the same reason. The Castlegate Preservation Trust is a charitable incorporated organisation and follows the Foundation model of governance. It was registered in December 2016, and has the following objects: To preserve, for the benefit of the citizens of Sheffield and the nation, buildings or other structures of historic, architectural and constructional heritage that may exist in the Castlegate area of Sheffield and in furtherance of this object to foster and secure their restoration and re-use particularly, but not limited to, the Old Town Hall. To advance education for the public benefit about the history, development, significance and future of the heritage buildings and sites of the Castlegate area. To advance education, learning and training for the public benefit by developing the skills of persons involved in restoration and particularly those involved in historic building preservation projects in Castlegate. Further such charitable purposes (charitable under English law) for the benefit of the community in Castlegate as the charity trustees see fit from time to time. The Trust has not used any name other than the one under which it is registered. Activities The trustees confirm that they have complied with the duty in section 4 of the 2006 Act to have due regard to guidance on public benefit published by the Charity Commission. In 2021, as in 2020, the Trust intended as in previous years to continue to pursue its objectives by focusing primarily on providing opportunities for people to learn about the significance of Castlegate and its heritage buildings, via the usual provision of guided walks in the area during Sheffield’s Environment Weeks and during Heritage Open Days, which have always been well-supported. In addition it would continue to monitor developments affecting the Old Town Hall. The continuation of the Covid-19 pandemic continued to make the first objective difficult to pursue; people either could not participate in public events or were unwilling to do so in practical numbers. Once again, the Trustees did not feel it possible to undertake advance planning for the usual activities as the rules that would apply to gatherings at the relevant times were unknown at the point when commitment to activities would have been required. By the same token local groups to which trustees would have given illustrated talks about Castlegate for the most part cancelled their programmes, but a small number of talks were given during the period of this report. Trustees have continued to contribute articles on the history of Castlegate to the local press. The Trust continues to be represented on the Castlegate Partnership Steering Group established by Sheffield City Council. This body, which included representatives of the private, public, higher education and voluntary sectors, is central to plans to reinvigorate the run-down Castlegate area of the city centre. The Trust advises on matters such as the significance of some of the heritage buildings, listed or otherwise, in the area and is contributing to plans for future development that respect their heritage status. The City Council has revived earlier plans to regenerate the whole area and its successful bid for money from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund is expected to give this further impetus. The main development in 2021, as noted in our last report, was that the company that bought the Old Town Hall in 2019 collapsed into administration in June 2021. This put a stop to the consented scheme of restoration and left the building with a very uncertain future. The receivers’ attempts to sell the building on the open market or, in November 2021, by public auction were unsuccessful. The Trustees continue to maintain a watching brief on the site; no work appears to have been done to implement the 2019 consented scheme. News however emerged after the reporting period that a sale had taken place – see below. The Trustees have maintained a working relationship with Sheffield City Council about its interests in Castlegate. All the Trust’s work is carried out on a voluntary basis by the Trustees. ## Finances The sale of the Old Town Hall in 2019 effectively stopped the Trust’s work on preparing to raise funds to buy the building. The Trust had no income, and therefore no expenditure, in the period 1 January 2021 - 31 December 2021. It follows that there are no accounts and the Trust has not opened a bank account. The Trust has no assets and no reserves. ## Future Activities As noted above, the Trustees became aware - in March 2022 - that the building had been sold by the receivers to a property developer. The Trust continues to monitor developments; to date there has been no planning or listed building application to restore or develop the building. The Trust continues to monitor the situation closely. The Trust will continue as opportunity permits to its more general work on the future of Castlegate as a whole, including through its representation on the City Council’s Castlegate Partnership and its educational work. October 2022