Rose Garden Cafe: Restoration plans costing up to £2m going ahead on Graves Park Sheffield venue
Detailed work is starting on planning the restoration of a much-loved Sheffield park cafe that could cost up to £2 million.
The Rose Garden Cafe in Graves Park, Norton faced potential demolition by Sheffield City Council after it was closed suddenly because of structural concerns in July 2022. Initial architect design work commissioned by an innovative council-community partnership has pointed to the £2m price tag.
However, a report-back from the partnership to a meeting of the council’s charity trustee sub-committee yesterday (September 9) indicated that some of the work could be dropped or deferred.
Partnership member Rebecca Nixon, who represents the council on the group, said that full design has been commissioned in order to inform conversations with funding organisations such as the Heritage Lottery Fund. The £25,000 to cover the architects’ fees came from council local area committee funding.
Partnership chair Chris Hallam added that the £2m “includes a load of stuff we might not end up doing, it includes restoring some outdoor seating, it includes £250,000 for professional fees, things like that”.
He said that four task and finish groups are now undertaking detailed work on issues such as fundraising and making grant applications. The fundraisers will come up with a calendar of events.
Foundations
Fundraising has already topped £12,000 towards funding the £25,000 cost of repairing the cafe front wall, which needs deeper foundations to stop it leaning.
Coun Fran Belbin said: “The work sounds really exciting, so well done to everybody involved first of all. It’s a really sensible approach, taking the task and finish approach.”
She said she had visited the cafe for the first time since it reopened on August 7 after internal scaffolding was removed. Committee chair Coun Richard Williams said that every cup of coffee sold raises 10p towards the restoration fund and was told that has already added up to several hundred pounds.
Coun Belbin asked about plans for a play area inside the cafe. Mr Hallam said the design will look at whether part of the floor area needs to be softer for moveable play. He said they are also considering measures to contain the noise from the play area.
He added: “There was also quite a lot in the consultation about elderly visitors and visitors who are single and alleviation of loneliness, so we’ve got to try and balance (that).”
Mr Hallam said that people also like the big, open plan area. “So it’s trying to find a balance between how do you have an area where kids can be kids and you can read your Kindle at the other end of the room?”
Sensitive
He said that the design team would be tasked with coming up with solutions to those issues. Mr Hallam also said that they would be sensitive to the fact that the building is surrounded by wildlife and what measures, such as bat boxes, could be included in the design.
“Consultation’s great but it gives you a million ideas, doesn’t it?” he added.
Coun Belbin asked if the building might be available for community hire and use. Mr Hallam said that discussions are under way about that.
“We’ll try and find that balance between a regular cafe and a community space that people can use, so definitely on the radar for us.”