TOWN and Trivselhus are pleased to announce that the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has confirmed its decision not to designate the Agora as a Listed Building. This follows detailed inspection of the building by Historic England, as well as representations made by Milton Keynes Council, Love Wolverton and the local community.
Historic England’s report to the Secretary of State acknowledged that the building had played a role in the history of Milton Keynes, but it clearly did not meet the criteria for listing on the following grounds:
“Architectural interest
Although clearly representative of its time, the building is firmly placed against the grain of the existing town plan and its appearance has been compromised by numerous incremental changes.
Historic interest:
The Agora Centre does not exhibit any technological innovation in its design, nor associations with notable characters or events.
Group interest:
Although placed at the heart of Wolverton and close to several listed structures, there is little sympathetic alliance of function or aesthetic between them and the Agora Centre. Their proximity is not sufficient to override the lack of architectural or historic interest.”
TOWN and Trivselhus recognise the role that the Agora has played in the changing town centre over the years and we are delighted to support the work of the Agora-A-Go-Go team over the summer to celebrate the past and look forward to the next chapter in Wolverton’s story.
The project team is now focussed on finalising our planning application, which will be made to the Council later in the summer. It will include a full historic record of the Agora which we will pass on to the Milton Keynes archives to hold alongside the drawings and model of the Agora itself.
