Exclusive
The £500,000 grant allocated to a refurbishment project of The Oval Bandstand and Lawns under the £22.2million Margate Town Deal scheme has been withdrawn by Thanet council.
Grass (Gordon Road Area Street Scheme) Cliftonville was allocated £500,000 from the town deal in 2021 but, despite carrying out major works, the group was still waiting for £475,000 of the grant to be released.
Thanet council said it could not release the funds because Grass had not signed a grant agreement due to a disagreement about the terms.
The delay resulted in project leaders Stephen Darrer and Simon Bell saying they would find funding elsewhere and Stephen resigning his role on the Margate Town Deal Board, which was set up to oversee the scheme.
The Oval Bandstand proposal was to build a Pavilion at the site, to include training and education, reconfigure the bandstand area so it is a 360 space – a “theatre in the round”- which would mean moving the toilet facilities and create wildflower meadows, lawns, a mini wetland, a mini-forest, and paths lined with wildlife-friendly plants making a “coastal eco-park” alongside artworks, social and activity spaces.
Last summer an initial £25,000 Early Development Funding was released and in September Grass appointed Bell Phillips Architects for the project.
Stephen said an assurance was given by the council’s director of regeneration that the main grant would be released but this did not happen.
Thanet council said until the agreement has been signed it would not be possible to transfer any further public funds to the organisation.
But Stephen said the contract contained clauses about publicity which were one-sided in favour of the council and a non-disclosure agreement – gagging order- was required.
In a statement previously Grass said: “We were forced to halt our progress due to the lack of a grant agreement by the end of October 2022. It was a challenging and frustrating situation, especially considering the significant progress we had made and the enthusiasm of the talented architects working on the project.
“Despite the setback, we managed to accomplish RIBA stage 1 and appoint a chartered surveyor to conduct a thorough measured survey of the bandstand. This would have allowed us to initiate comprehensive cost estimations and detailed architectural planning required for the upcoming RIBA stages 2 and 3 of the project and would have also allowed us to apply for match funding.”
Now Thanet council has withdrawn the grant offer.
‘Decision today’
A council statement says: “As the accountable body for the Margate Town Deal programme, Thanet District Council has taken the decision today (Friday 6 October) to withdraw the £500,000 grant offer made to GRASS to redevelop the Oval Bandstand and Lawns in Cliftonville.
“This decision follows the refusal by GRASS to return a signed grant agreement, necessary to progress with delivery of the project. This is a standard part of the process set out by the government, to ensure that any organisation or third party, in receipt of public funds, has the relevant financial due diligence and governance structures in place.
“A formal decision notice has been published which sets out the reasons behind this decision.
“There is a collective interest in including community projects in the Margate Town Deal Investment Plan so this is a disappointing outcome.
“The council understands the challenges being faced by community organisations in terms of funding core costs and that engaging with government programmes and the language used within them can be a challenge. However, as the funder and accountable body, on behalf of central government, the council is required to follow due process to protect public funding.
“Through the Board, the opportunity for GRASS to meet with the council was provided in August, but this was declined.
“The project was planned as part of the £22.2m Margate Town Deal programme. Any reallocation of the funding will require a formal Cabinet decision.”
Grass has been forging ahead with works at The Oval and carried out some 3,000 hours on the project, self-funded.
The site has hosted a busy summer programme of night markets, live music and shows, including a return of wrestling after some 40 years, and has more events lined up for Autumn and Winter.
Grass has been contacted for a response.
This includes £1.8million to reinstate the Grade II Listed Walpole Bay Lift, explore improvements for the tidal pool and look at vehicle access and shared space at Hodges Gap and plans for a connected scheme to create a pavilion with community and public facilities.
Margate Skatepark is allocated £750,000, there is £500,000 for revenue funding and the other £500,000 had been for The Oval.
