Sheffield park cafe restoration likely to take “many years” because of funding issues
The renovation of a popular Sheffield park cafe looks like it will be split into four phases in order to maximise the chances of winning major funding for the project.
A meeting of Sheffield City Council’s charity trustee sub-committee will next Monday (September 8) receive an update on the Rose Garden Cafe in Graves Park. The cafe was saved by a public outcry after the council shut the building in July 2022 because of fears about its structural safety.
The Rose Garden Cafe Partnership, made up of representatives of the Save the Rose Garden Cafe campaign, the Friends of Graves Park and the council, has been working on plans to restore the building and secure its future as a vital community facility.
A report to the committee says that the partnership is proposing four phases to the work on the building. This is because the National Lottery Heritage Fund said that applications for funding should focus on the heritage elements of proposals, rather than infrastructure upgrades.
The total estimated cost of the work is £2.6m. The first phase would involve work on the front wall and adjoining terrace, the pitched roof and the clock tower, at a projected cost of £650,000.
Impacts
Next would be work on doors and windows, costing £100,000, followed by extensions and internal refurbishment at a cost of £1.3m.
The final phase would cover remaining external works and long-term improvements, including upgrading the heating system and new external lighting. That would cost an estimated £550,000.
The report says: “The partnership has also discussed and noted the impacts of a phased approach rather than doing the works in one go, which include:
- Extending the project timeline – potentially spanning many years, necessitating ongoing contributions from all members of the partnership.
- Incurring higher costs overall (including from inflation and contractor preliminaries).
- Greater disruption to the current operator.
“Nevertheless, the partnership believe the phased approach is necessary as they have been unable to identify a single funder capable of financing the entire project.”
The partnership has met its initial funding target of £25,000 and has now set a new target of £37,500. Volunteers continue to run regular events to help raise money.