Cabinet members at Thanet council are expected to agree the allocation of £1.5m Pride in Place Impact funding- which is split over two years- for projects in Margate, Broadstairs and the villages.
The government funding was allocated to Thanet last September and is to be used in three core areas; revitalising community spaces; enhancing public areas, including green and blue spaces; and regenerating high streets and town centres.
The council has prioritised projects within public ownership in Margate and Broadstairs with further support for projects in the district’s rural villages.
Ramsgate has not been considered as it already has a £20m funding award from the Pride in Place programme.
Proposed project ideas that were considered included:
Margate:
Margate Museum and Old Town Hall for refurbishment and reopening (Community spaces/Revitalisation);
Safeguarding and potentially reopening Tudor House (Community spaces);
Creating a weekly Cecil Square market space to drive footfall and help deal with Anti-Social Behaviour (Revitalisation);
Investment in Dane Park for the fountain, paths, lighting, and community assets (Public spaces).
Broadstairs:
Investment at the back of Viking Bay to encourage broader private sector regeneration (Revitalisation/Public spaces);
Match funding for Dickens House refurbishment and accredited museum status (Community spaces);
Enhancements to Pierremont Park, including accessibility and the fountain (Public spaces);
Investment in Sarah Thorne Theatre.
Thanet villages
A £100,000 allocation split into £20,000 grants per project
The projects that have been chosen are:
Margate Museum and Old Town Hall
The Margate Museum and Old Town Hall are currently in a poor state of repair. A headline estimate of the cost of completing essential repairs over a four year period is estimated at £0.72m.
Although currently unfunded, this cost is included within the council’s draft planned preventative maintenance (PPM) programme. This figure includes amounts for essential repairs, mechanical and electrical upgrades and statutory compliance works. It doesn’t currently include any allowances for access improvements and the buildings do not currently comply with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.
The museum building is currently closed to the public due to disrepair and health and safety compliance requirements. The Old Town Hall is also currently vacant. The main buildings have been vacant for more than 10 years and the annex for more than five years.
The aim is to return these two buildings to public use. This includes works to the Margate Museum to enable it reopening with improved access and circulation spaces and enhanced exhibition spaces, and works to return the Old Town Hall. Officers have commissioned architectural consultants to complete a RIBA 0/1 options appraisal with high level costs. The options range from completing only essential works to allow the buildings to reopen to more extensive refurbishment and remodelling. Costs for these options are not yet available and will be a key factor in determining the recommended option.
Once design options and costs are more fully understood, including feedback through the engagement activity, a further report will be presented to Cabinet setting out a recommended option for delivery.
Pierremont Park
The council has previously considered two potential projects for investment in Pierremont Park. The first project included the installation of a ramped access point at one of the High Street entrances to the park. All entrances to the park from the High Street are currently stepped access. Work is required to establish the costs for this work.
The second project includes the reinstatement of the water fountain at the park. The water fountain was decommissioned due to the age of the pumps and other machinery required to ensure the water fountain works. The pumps and machinery needed to be replaced. The pool of the water fountain is currently being used as a planter for flowers and other plants.
The cost of replacing this equipment was beyond the means of the council at the time of its failure. Research and quotes are required to establish the condition of the fountain and the costs for refurbishment.
Once the project delivery options and costs are more fully understood, including feedback through the engagement activity, a further report will be presented to Cabinet setting out a recommended option.
Sarah Thorne Theatre
The council has allocated a grant of £50,000 to the Sarah Thorne Theatre CIC as seed funding. This funding allocation is intended to support their plans to improve accessibility to the site which may include moving the entrance, refurbishing the toilets or other capital investment in the site to create a more sustainable, multi-use venue to secure the theatre’s long-term future as a community hub.
The Sarah Thorne Theatre CIC has gained support from the Broadstairs and St Peter’s Town Council, and is currently developing a proposal for the investment, and other funding. Their proposal for the funding will be awarded with a specific grant offer letter, with key outputs for delivery.
Thanet Villages Allocation
There are eight Town and Parish Councils that are not directly covered by Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate. These include Acol Parish Council, Birchington Parish Council, Cliffsend Parish Council, Manston Parish Council, Minster Parish Council, Monkton Parish Council, St Nicholas-at-Wade with Sarre Parish Council and Westgate-on-Sea Town Council. An allocation of £100,000 has been identified for the delivery of projects in the eight Town and Parish Council areas. Councils are able to put forward a proposal for their area that fits the criteria, with up to £20,000 per viable project.
An alternative option considered was for a large number of smaller projects distributed across all areas of the district. This option was rejected due to the challenges of managing it.
The funding will be discussed at a Cabinet meeting on April 30.
Parish and town councils cover a very wide range of things. Westgate and Birchington are medium size towns competing against genuinely small villages. Not sure this makes for a fair allocation?
Not sure how a market in Cecil Square will help deal with anti social behaviour???
I really wish the Government would just wait until the new Unitary Council is in place before handing out more cash to Thanet.
TDC have proved time and time again that they haven’t got the competence to handle grant funding like this and deliver projects that will make a difference locally. Stop throwing money at them !
What happens with the funding is a different matter. Thanet has been granted £££Millions for improvements over the past decade and it’s difficult to see where it has been spent still. Is it all wasted on studies, reviews and consultations by outside organisations at great cost? Can this be done at a much less cost so more can be spent on the projects? Money always seems to go to the arts or is swallowed up on large projects that do not hold such a fondness by local people.
I would say to spend funding on the many smaller projects that people have named, those that make living in the area a brighter place for all.