Property Activation Fund grant used to give historic Grade II-listed building a face-lift

Among the latest properties to benefit from the match funding on offer is a historic Grade II-listed building on Chapel Street that’s home to J Petty Motors. The family-run business was established in 1958 and moved to its current site in the 1960s.

J Petty Motors is situated in one of the oldest parts of Goole in buildings that date back to 1829. The Grade II-listed part of the premises was once used as the town’s ‘lock-up’, or jail, because of its close proximity to Goole’s original courthouse, which was located on nearby Aire Street. Other parts of the premises provided stabling for horses in the days when the animals were used to transport goods and materials to and from the docks. The buildings are close to the historic Lowther Hotel and were once surrounded by rows of terraced houses, which have long since been demolished. These days, the adjoining land is occupied by East Riding Leisure Goole, which is currently being transformed into an enhanced leisure and community facility, thanks to a major investment by East Riding of Yorkshire Council. Known as the Goole Hub project, it has also received more than £3 million in grant funding from Goole Town Deal. 

The owners of J Petty Motors, Keith, Stuart and Sarah Petty, submitted an application for match-funding of £14,000 towards the cost of more than £28,000 worth of work aimed at making their business premises more visually appealing and energy efficient in order to improve the working conditions for their employees and generate further opportunities for growth. Thanks to the recent investment in the promises, the business has already expanded further, taking on four new employees in recent months.

Mr Stuart Petty explained: “We wanted to return the building to its former glory and allow the people of Goole to enjoy its heritage. Chapel Street is an important part of Goole’s history, and a genuine point of interest for residents and visitors. The energy efficiency work that we’ve carried out has also helped to reduce the carbon footprint of the building.

“There are a few other buildings in this part of the town centre, such as The Lowther Hotel, which attract huge interest. By further improving this area, we hope to bring wider benefits to local traders by attracting more visitors to Goole. With us also being located next to the leisure centre, which is getting a full renovation, this part of Goole is vastly improving so we were keen to keep up with the town’s progress.”

Mr Petty revealed that the Property Activation Fund grant was used to carry out preparatory work for new flooring to be installed; paint the external walls; remove foliage from the walls and roof; install energy efficient heat pumps; replace the windows and doors; and replace redundant roller shutter doors with new sliding doors for better insulation. In a further boost to the local economy, the renovation work was carried out by contractors and suppliers from the Goole area, wherever possible.

Phil Jones, Chair of the Goole Town Deal Board, said: “It’s fantastic to see yet another town centre building being given a new lease of life, thanks to a major investment by its owner and the support of a Property Activation Fund grant. The restoration of J Petty Motors’ premises has not only enhanced the appearance of the Chapel Street area of the town and helped to conserve an important Grade II-listed building for many years to come, it has also helped a long-established, local employer to create more jobs.

“Work is still underway on several other projects that have received Property Activation Fund grants and, when you also factor in the rapid progress being made on the other seven strategic projects that the Goole Town Deal Board chose to fund, there’s a huge amount of positive change happening in the town right now. Watch this space!”

The Property Activation Fund is one of eight strategic projects to have been allocated a share of Goole’s £25 million in Town Deal funding from the Government. Property Activation Fund grants totalling almost £2.5 million have already been awarded to 24 different properties, with some projects already complete and many others currently in progress.

You can find out more at: https://www.gooletowndeal.co.uk.