Agenda item

Purpose of report

To seek a recommendation from Cabinet to Historic England to allocate a £300,000 grant from the Grantham High Street Heritage Action Zone programme, to restore Westgate Hall and bring it back into use.

Decision

That Cabinet recommends to Historic England an allocation of £300,000 from the High Street Heritage Action Zone programme to restore Westgate Hall and bring it back into use.

Alternative options considered and rejected

The alternative would be for Cabinet to outline its opposition to the proposal and recommend refusal of the grant.

Reason for decision

The High Street Heritage Action Zone was a national scheme managed by Historic England, with 68 schemes approved within England offering funding to Local Authorities to regenerate and revitalise historic town centres.

The Council had successfully bid for a High Street Heritage Action Zone for Grantham in December 2019 with the total cost of the programme consisting of £1,262,000 made up of £886,540 from Historic England and £375,660 from South Kesteven District Council over a four-year programme from May 2020 to March 2024.

This report focused on a specific project to support the regeneration of the Grade II listed building known as Westgate Hall. The building was of significant architectural importance to Grantham, having been constructed in 1852 and being previously used as a corn exchange.

It was considered that the restoration of Westgate Hall would enhance other regeneration works which were being delivered in and around the marketplace from both the High Street Heritage Action Zone and the Future High Streets Fund. The scale and fabric of the building were distinct from any other building in the area and as such its current state had a disproportionately negative impact on the area. Regeneration of the building would therefore have a much more significant impact on the area than other projects, with the potential to act as a catalyst for further regeneration.

Both the property owner and the tenant would be making financial contributions to the project, with the owner contributing to the repair and reinstatement works supported by the grant and the tenant funding the fit out of the property. It was estimated that their combined contribution to the project would be approximately £350,000 and represented more than double the target public sector investment for the Grantham Heritage Action Zone programme as a whole. It was also estimated that the Hall, when in operation, would create 30 jobs and act as a destination venue for Grantham attracting people to the district, supporting the visitor economy and enhancing and diversifying the evening and night-time economy of the town centre.

It was noted that, even though the proposed decision was a recommendation to Historic England, it was considered good governance to take it through Cabinet as a Key Decision due to it being a single grant allocation of significant value which exceeded the Council’s threshold in its Financial Regulations.

The following points were noted during discussion:

·       A question was raised as to any financial risk attributable to the Council should the scheme not meet Historic England’s criteria. It was reported that the funding would be paid in arrears once works had been inspected by the Heritage Action Zone Programme Manager and representatives of Historic England. Until they were satisfied that the works had been delivered in accordance with the agreed specification and criteria, no payment of the Council’s element of funding would be made

·       Clarification was sought as to why Westgate Hall in particular had been chosen to receive this allocation of funding. It was noted that the building in its current condition was an eyesore in that part of the town. It represented a significant architectural design and it was considered that restoration of this building would act as a catalyst for regeneration in the area. The return of investment in this respect and the subsequent impact on the town made it an obvious scheme for Historic England to support