Archived decisions

Hampshire County Council

Executive Member - Recreation and Heritage Item 5

15 November 2007

Basing House Ruins - Heritage Lottery Fund grant aid

Report of the Director of Recreation and Heritage

Contact: Russell Cleaver ext. 6883 e-mail: [email protected]

1. Background

1.1 On 19 September the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) approved the award of a Stage 1 pass towards the restoration of Basing House. This confirmed HLF grant aid of £53,300 for the Development Stage of the restoration plans.

1.2 In addition, Hampshire County Council contributions will total £61,515, of which sum only £39,890 is expected to be actual cash contribution, the remainder being contributions-in-kind, for example staff time.

1.3 This HLF award also acknowledges that the Stage 2 plans, for an additional £1,071,000 grant aid, will be in line for approval in October 2008, as long as the Development Stage is completed satisfactorily. (HLF never guarantee Stage 2 approval until they see that Stage 1 is finished properly).

1.4 The main responsibilities during the next year will be to undertake the necessary architectural designs, undertake some archaeological investigations on site, develop exhibition and interpretation plans and set up appropriate project management.

2. Recommendations

2.1 That Hampshire County Council's Recreation & Heritage Department accepts the offer from the Heritage Lottery Fund of a Stage 1 grant of £53,300 towards the development of the Basing House and Grange Farm site at Old Basing (collectively known as `Basing House Ruins').

2.2 That Hampshire County Council enters into a contract with the National Heritage Memorial Fund for the express purpose of delivering the objectives defined in HCC's application to the HLF.

2.3 That it be a recommendation to Cabinet that £93,000 be added to the Recreation and Heritage Capital Programme for the development phase.

3. Architectural Planning

3.1 Property Business and Regulatory Services have plans in place to work up the necessary designs and related research required for Basing House. This will include the use of an in-house team and specialist consultants, structural engineers etc. Now that HLF have approved the project, officers are preparing to work on these plans and also appoint a Project Manager to coordinate the works and oversee the project (a role which the HLF strongly emphasised should be included in the application).

4. Project Manager

4.1 During the Development Stage the Project Manager will liaise between the Heritage Lottery Fund monitors, the in-house Architects team; the in-house Museums team; external consultants and designers to ensure all the preparatory designs and works progress smoothly together so that the development process can be completed satisfactorily in the allotted time.

5. Archaeological Investigation

5.1 In order to understand more about the original entrance to Basing House, external consultants have suggested some additional investigations take place in the ditch and banks of the Citadel. Consequently, the Museums Service's Keeper of Archaeology will be undertaking further investigations on site during the year, aided by experienced volunteers from the local Basing House Archaeological Society. This element of work forms part of the County's contributions-in-kind.

6. Exhibition & Interpretation

6.1 The restoration of Basing House includes ambitious plans to communicate the important history of the site to its future visitors. A new exhibition space will be provided at the entry point in Grange Farm and an innovative interpretation scheme needs to be adopted throughout the entire site. The choice and delivery of an excellent interpretation scheme remains a priority for this project. It is hoped to appoint external consultants to provide the necessary high quality solution.

6.2 The Interpretation Plan will be put out to tender early in the Development Stage.

6.2 It is planned, in the future, to use the County's own Kingsworthy Signshop facilities, which is able to manufacture many signs and exhibition panels to a high commercial standard. This will reduce the manufacturing costs of the exhibition and interpretation.

7. Financial Implications

7.1 The total cost of the development phase is estimated at £115,000 which will be met as follows:

                    £'000

      · HLF grant 53

      · HCC cash contribution (from capital

        disposal already completed) 40

      · HCC non-cash contributions 22

                    ____

                    115

    It is recommended that the total cash value of the development phase (£93,000) is added to the Recreation and Heritage capital programme.

7.2 It is currently estimated that the project itself will be £1.785 million. Of this, HLF grant aid would be £1,071 million. The County Council's cash contribution is £232,000 which is available from the proceeds of the (completed) sale of a building at Grange Farm. The other sources of the remaining £482,000 are a combination of:

      · Contribution by Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council

      · Non-cash contributions

      · External fundraising locally

8. Conclusion

8.1 Once the above works have been completed then the Stage 2 application to the Heritage Lottery Fund can be completed to secure the main Lottery grant of £1,071,000. This application will be formulated during summer 2008 for submission next October.

8.2 It is anticipated that as long as the Development Stage is completed satisfactorily then the HLF Stage 2 approval will follow. It will be the key role of the proposed Project Manager over the next 12 months to keep in close touch with project monitors from the HLF to ensure that all the evaluation criteria of the Development Stage are met so that the main Stage 2 grant is successfully secured.

LINK TO CORPORATE STRATEGY

                  Yes No

Hampshire safer and more secure for all _

Maximising well-being _

Enhancing our quality of place _

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - Background Documents

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and have been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB the list excludes:

    1. Published works

    2. Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the act.

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