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Roundhay Park Mansion: Cash offer to kick-start project?
Council chiefs are considering offering a cash sweetener to kick-start the stalled Roundhay Park Mansion project. Click here for full story.
The historic mansion in the park closed five years ago and since then 1.9 million has been spent refurbishing the building and converting part of it into a visitor and education centre, due to open next month.
But the council is still looking for an operator to run the cafe-restaurant and function room facilities on the vacant ground floor and first floor, which were not internally renovated as part of the 1.9m scheme.
People who responded to a public consultation exercise two years ago made it clear they wanted the emphasis to be on catering and function rooms, rather than allowing the space to become no more than a pub serving food.
Senior councillors will next week consider a number of offers from companies who want to operate from the Mansion.
And a report to be discussed by the Executive Board recommends that the Mansion be re-marketed with the council offering to meet some of the initial fit out costs.
The report says: "The considerable initial capital cost of works is putting off a wider range of potential tenants from putting a bid forward."
It suggests the council could help make the project more viable by making a cash contribution towards the work or offering potential tenants reduced rent.
The report says the council could then work with the successful bidder to develop a "mutually acceptable scheme" which would ensure the principal use of the new facilities was catering and functions.
It also warns that the council could be forced to return part of a Lottery grant given to improve the park and mansion if progress is not made on the provision of restaurant/catering facilities.
There was an outcry in 2003 when the council proposed converting the mansion into a visitor centre and offices for leisure department staff.
Objectors argued it was important for restaurant and function facilities to be retained and their concerns were met when the council drew up alternative proposals.
* Click here for more stories on the Roundhay Park Mansion saga.
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Friday 18 May 2012
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