Grainger Town - 1960s - 90s

90s

In the 1960s and 1970s, parts of Grainger Town were demolished to make way for projects such as the Eldon Square. In the 1980s and early 1990s, this once prosperous area of the city was overtaken by new centres of retail and commercial activity.

In the early 1990s, Richard Grainger's legacy was in poor shape as shops and offices moved out to other locations. The residential population of the area was falling rapidly to 1,200 and showing no signs of improvement. Around 100,000 m² of floor space were vacant and the area exhibited all the classic symptoms of urban decay. This led to calls for clearance of listed properties and whole streets. Structural problems became evident with 47% of its 244 listed buildings classed as being 'at risk' and a further 29% classified as vulnerable. The once prosperous area was now in the realms of a very poor environment. This meant that any investor confidence was low. All these factors led to the Grainger Town project being established.