Decision details

The report considers future potential governance and funding arrangements including the submission of an application to the Heritage Lottery Fund's Parks for People programme for feasibility and development funding to restore the historic gardens in accordance with the priorities and required outcomes of the Parks for People programme

(1) To AUTHORISE officers to progress work on:

•  The feasibility and development work to make a Round 1 application to the Heritage Lottery Fund, under the Parks for People programme, for development funding for the restoration of Sydney Gardens;

•  Examining potential alternative future governance arrangements for the management of Sydney Gardens.

The restoration of Sydney Gardens has been in discussion for several years and the recent successful completion of the restoration of the Holburne Museum and a change in grant percentage offered by Heritage Lottery Fund (from up to 75% to up to 90%) in the Parks for People programme presents a good opportunity to take a scheme forward for an application for feasibility funding of the project.

Not to submit a restoration bid

Whilst this would save the authority the development stage match funding it would go back on commitments made and could have a negative impact on the relationship with the Holburne Museum, as well as missing out on the opportunity to take advantage of the current favourable level of contributory funding from HLF.

The preparation of a submission also enables consideration of options for future potential alternative governance arrangements for the gardens, as part of the process of developing the submission. Learning from this process of working with the local community and stakeholders is relevant to opportunities identified within the Localism Bill and could be transferable for other parks, gardens and green spaces within Bath and North East Somerset.