30th March 2005
THE Heritage Lottery Fund has today said yes to
Harrogate Borough Council's renewed bid for a grant of £6m to
help it restore the Royal Hall, one of the country's premier listed
buildings.
Together with a £2m contribution from the
council, this positive decision from the HLF now means that an
£8m restoration of the Royal Hall is likely to start later
this year, with the building reopening for public use in the spring
of 2007.
The announcement of the award comes after
Harrogate Borough Council committed a further £100,000 for a
supplementary study to define a practical way forward to restore
the building to public use with a fixed budget of £8m.
Carole Souter, Director of the Heritage Lottery
Fund, said: "The Royal Hall in Harrogate is one of the city's
favourite landmarks. The Frank Matcham building is
steeped in history as well as being an important
community resource. I am extremely pleased that, through working
closely with Harrogate Borough Council, the Heritage Lottery Fund
has now been able to confirm our grant offer of £6million to
refurbish
and modernise the Hall. The finalised plans will
serve to protect this wonderful historic building whilst enabling
it to reopen to the public."
The council has worked hard to keep the HLF on
board because it was asking for the anticipated grant for full
restoration to be finally approved for a partial restoration scheme
after being let down by other funding bodies who were not prepared
to help it
deliver the council's first objective of a full
restoration.
Councillor Mike Gardner, Leader of Harrogate
Borough Council, said: "This is a big lottery win for the district.
We had to find the right balance between the council's
financial constraints and the need to protect the
council taxpayers from unacceptable financial risks against the
HLF's need to make sure that lottery awards provide a
long-term return on their investment. We were,
therefore, dependent on the HLF agreeing to modify their
requirements. I am pleased that they did and all our efforts have
been vindicated with this wonderful news that the HLF Trustees have
finally awarded us the full £6m grant for a partial
restoration. We will make sure that they do get a return on that
investment by re-opening the Royal Hall for public use."
The council has had some very good officers
helping to develop this partial scheme and Councillor Gardner has
offered them his grateful thanks.
"I am also extremely grateful to the HLF for
sticking with us in what have been difficult circumstances. Yes, we
want to restore the Royal Hall but it can't be at 'any'
cost or at the absolute expense of other parts of
our district. This district has a number of key important listed
buildings. Everyone recognises that. The Royal Hall is even on the
national buildings at risk register. Yet no-body, apart from the
HLF, has been prepared to help."
Responding to the vexed question of cost
overruns, Councillor Gardner added that the approach adopted
through this supplemental study has been very carefully worked out
with officers, consultants and the HLF and gives the council
confidence that the Hall can be brought back into use within the
money available.
Additional funding from the Royal Hall
Restoration Trust is likely to add to the £8m and he is
urging the public to get behind the Trust.
A re-launch of the Royal Hall Restoration Trust's
funding raising activities will take place at 6.30pm on 7 April at
the St George Swallow Hotel when Honorary President, Edward Fox,
will also be urging the community to back the restoration
project.
Chairman of the Trust, Lilian Mina, said: "The
trustees are, of course, delighted with the fantastic news that the
restoration project is now a reality. The HLF and the council have
done their part by providing the bulk of the funding, and the Trust
now looks forward to working alongside them in helping achieve the
maximum level of restoration for the benefit of the whole
community. There is now a wonderful
exciting opportunity for this famous Kursaal to
again take its place at the centre of the social, economic and
cultural life of the district, as well as providing an added
attraction for our many visitors to come and
enjoy all this magnificent building has to offer. Future
generations will look back with gratitude at this wise and
far-sighted investment."
The next step will be to tender the restoration
proposals and, at the same time, the council will be working on a
revised business plan for the Hall which will take into account the
interest from Leeds Metropolitan University, local schools and
other
community groups so that the Hall will be
accessible to and used by the widest possible range of local groups
and visitors.
Also key to a successful scheme will be an
interpretive heritage display, which will trace the history of the
Royal Hall and Harrogate's spa heritage over the last 100 years and
provide users and visitors with an appreciation of this unique
building.
ENDS
FURTHER INFORMATION: Councillor Mike
Gardner is available for comment on 01423 500600 ext 6299 and
Lilian Mina on 01423 562820.
NOTES TO EDITORS: The Heritage Lottery
Fund enables communities to celebrate, look after and learn more
about our diverse heritage. From our great museums and historic
buildings to local parks and beauty spots or recording and
celebrating
traditions, customs and history, HLF grants open
up our nation's heritage for everyone to enjoy. They have supported
more than 15,000 projects, allocating over
£3billion across the UK.
For the Heritage Lottery Fund, please contact
Katie Owen, HLF Press Office, on tel: 020 7591 6036 mobile: 07973
613820 website: www.hlf.org.uk.