CARDIFF COUNCIL CYNGOR CAERDYDD
EXECUTIVE BUSINESS MEETING:15 SEPTEMBER 2011
INSOLE COURT – COMMUNITY ASSET TRANSFER
REPORT OF CORPORATE CHIEF OFFICER (COMMUNITIES) AGENDA ITEM: 15
PORTFOLIO : SPORT, LEISURE & CULTURE
Reason for this Report
1. To report, as requested by the Executive in July 2009, on the outcome of the review for alternative management options for Insole Court (such as Trusts, including the National Trust) to provide a funding stream to enable the completion of the refurbishment.
Background
2. Insole Court is a Grade II* listed Victorian mansion house and is partly used as a local community facility and partly rented out for office space, but substantial parts of the house are derelict and not in use. The house is also surrounded by a Grade II registered historic garden which serves as a public open space for the local community and is designated as a Conservation Area. There are nine other individually Grade II listed structures within the grounds, five of which are identified as ‘at risk’ and three ‘vulnerable’.
3. Following a decision in July 2007, £650,000 was made available through the Capital Programme for the restoration of parts of the ground floor and for safety improvements recommended by the Fire Service. Further capital allocations (£200k in 2009/10 and £50k in 2010/11) were made available to restore the West Wing (known as the Swiss Wing). The two upper floors are in a very poor condition and remain out of use.
4. More recently it has been necessary to protect the fire damaged stable block outbuilding by commissioning the installation of a new roof at a cost of £120,000.
5. At the end of 2010 / 2011 Insole Court cost the Council £181,733 to run and generated 51,580 visits.
6. To help define the long term needs, management aims and the feasibility of uses and in order to secure the building and sites’ future, Leisure Services commissioned Purcell Miller Tritton LLP, a firm of specialist
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conservation architects, to produce a Conservation Management Plan (CMP) which amongst others, would provide:
• An assessment of the issues and risks facing Insole Court. • Potential opportunities and scope for change that the building could accommodate. • A set of conservation policies which will provide guidance about how to protect and enhance the significance of Insole Court, while also allowing for sustainable managed change so that the building and site have a viable long term future.
7. Since the Council acquired the property in the 1930’s as a result of compulsory purchase for the construction of Western Avenue, it has been difficult to find a relevant and coordinated function for the house and grounds. In recent years several potential partners have either approached the Council or been approached by officers with a view to being able to refurbish the whole building and bring it back into use whilst still providing fully accessible facilities for community use.
8. It has not been possible to progress any of these options for various reasons , not least because of the amount of capital contribution requested from the Council by the partner; the long term sustainability of the proposal and difficulties caused by other factors such as the lack of parking on the site.
9. In 2010 Purcell Miller Tritton LLP identified the opportunity to transfer the management of the house and gardens to a Trust formed by the Friends of Insole Court and associate groups under a Big Lottery/WAG Community Asset Transfer (CAT) application.
10. This proposal met with support from the Council and The Friends of Insole Court and in January 2011 Purcell Miller Tritton along with DCA (Business & Development Consultants) were commissioned to develop an options appraisal for forming a Trust to take over the operation of the house and gardens and prepare a Round 1 CAT application for submission in March 2011. The outcome of this application was successful and has provided funding of up to £35,000 to enable a detailed business plan to be developed. The maximum funds available through the CAT scheme are £800,000.
Issues
11. The house is currently managed by the Community Facilities section of Cardiff Council, represented on the site by a full time site manager and a small number of other part time staff who manage the building and book and oversee activity. The gardens are managed by the Council’s Parks and Sports Service whose staff cover a range of sites and are not based at Insole Court. The split management of the site between the Leisure and Parks services adds to the difficulties of coherence.
12. The house is open six and on some occasions seven days a week for daytime and evening activities but with only four rooms available for hire
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the commercial viability of the house is limited. The current need to maximise income and attendance levels from room lettings and the poor condition of much of the building restricts the Friends from showing the heritage of the house to schools and other tour groups.
13. The Friends are very active in the heritage and marketing of Insole Court and are effectively already in a very full partnership with the Council. The Friends' contribution to the heritage arrangement is entirely undertaken by more than 100 volunteers contributing to many areas of the operation. The Friends secured a £45,000 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund during 2009 to detail and raise the profile of the Insole family legacy.
14. The Conservation Management Plan highlighted a number of issues and vulnerabilities which Insole Court is subject to. Those main areas highlighted in the report are detailed below.
• Whilst the main ground floor rooms have been well renovated, very large parts of the house remain closed off to the public and in a dilapidated condition. This deprives the facility of eleven of the fifteen main usable public rooms for activity in the house. Whilst this is not under immediate threat as it has been stabilised by the Council, for the long term these spaces will deteriorate further and will not be brought back into beneficial use without investment.
• Ad hoc changes to make repairs and to try to restore parts of the building lack co-ordination and are more costly than a single contract of works to the whole site.
• The presentation of the site is poor, with deteriorating structures and garden features, and bland landscaping and utilitarian WWII garages to the north of the house. These could all deter clients from hiring the venue and therefore could mean a loss of potential income.
15. The Trust was formed and registered as a limited company in July 2011. The trust board is made up of five founder trustees taken from the Friends, the Llandaff Society and the Llandaff Residents Association. There are two positions on the board as observers which are represented by the chair of the Friends and Cllr Nigel Howells representing Cardiff Council. The Trust is currently moving forward with an application for charity status.
16. In July 2011 a heads of terms agreement was signed between the Council and the Trust to set out how the future relationship between both parties would work (appendix 1). This document does not have any legal status, but maps out at an early stage the expectations and accountability expected from both organisations. Further discussions on the heads of terms agreement will continue until formal legal handover is completed, including detailed terms for a potential long term lease.
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17. Once the services that will continue to be provided from the site have been agreed, discussions will take place with all the relevant parties on whether TUPE applies.
18. Alongside a major investment to improve and renew the Court and its grounds, the Trust would have opportunities to improve the management of the heritage site by taking on responsibility for its operation from the Council. Although the Council will still take care of the external fabric of the house which would include the commitment to build up a reserve of funding each year to cover future maintenance costs, the Trust will be in a position to raise and dedicate more money to the upkeep of the whole site.
19. The management of the gardens is likely to be handed over to the Trust under a phased approach. Further discussion with appropriate officers is required to add detail to this proposal and these considerations will form an integral element of the detailed lease agreement.
Funding the proposal
Capital Funding
20. In July 2011 the Big Lottery/WAG community asset transfer fund (CAT) approved a round 1 application for the release of £35,000 of development funding to the Trust. This funding will lead to the development of a business plan and a stage 2 submission in January 2012. Approval of the stage 2 in June 2012 could release £765,000 of further funding.
21. In tandem with the CAT bid the consultants have submitted an application to the Heritage Lottery Fund which if successful over 2 separate assessment rounds will generate a further £1,995,900 of funding for this project (appendix 2). Approval of the HLF application and full funding would be expected in October 2012.
22. The commissioning of professional services to manage the funding and business planning is a key issue for this project. Council Officers will use an existing framework to appoint a multi-disciplined design team, with heritage experience to manage this project.
23. The Council would negotiate additional funding up to £380,000 on the understanding that this funding is used as a contingency only in the event that not enough funding is secured through external grants.
24. The net capital project costs for a full building refurbishment of the house, the outbuildings and works to the gardens have been projected by the consultants as costing £2,698,734.
25. Although capital funding from the CAT and HLF applications will go a long way to meeting the projected refurbishment costs there is still a need to generate further funding from other sources which has been listed in Appendix 3.
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26. It is being assumed that 100% VAT can be recovered either through the registration of the Trust for VAT and its structuring with a wholly owned trading company or, alternatively, the completion of the capital works by the Council under a Joint Procurement Agreement (JPA) with the Trust. The route chosen could have significant VAT implications for the Council and this will need to be considered with care.
27. A JPA would involve the lease being passed over to the Trust on completion of the capital works and the grants negotiated by the Trust passed to the Council to cover the capital development costs.
Revenue Funding
28. Direct Revenue costs to the Trust have been calculated by consultants as £197,657 in year one and rising by inflation and increased activity to £291,395 in year 5. The Trust will be required to generate their own income to meet the revenue costs of operating the house and stable block. The table below identifies some of the range of revenue funding sources being targeted by the Trust.
Revenue Funding Source Earned income from: • Hire of rooms • Fees for tours of the heritage areas of Insole Court • Sale of merchandise • Private hire for weddings and conferences • Leasing space to SME’s • Secondary spend from food and refreshments. Fundraising campaigns Volunteer time Gifts in kind Community grants
29. Insole Court under the management of Leisure generated on average £45,000 per annum up to 2006. Following the closure of insole Court and the subsequent refurbishment of the ground floor income generated at the end of 2010 / 2011 out-turned at £82,060. The potential to generate more income from an increase in the number of rooms is significant.
30. The full restoration of the House will increase the number of rooms available from four to eleven (appendix 4). This gives the Trust significant potential to produce a sustainable income stream from lettings to compliment the heritage activities that are central to its core values.
31. The income strategy for the Trust will need to be a robust document that will stand up to Council and independent scrutiny before a final legal handover of the facility is agreed.
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32. The Council has a long term lease with the Wales Co-op board which rents rooms on the east wing of insole Court. The lease for this organisation will remain under the councils control but the annual rent will be passed to the Trust as a revenue stream. The current annual rental is £25,000.
33. If successful it is estimated that handover of the whole site to the Trust could take place during May 2014.
Key milestones for this project
34. The key milestones for the project are detailed in the table below
Milestone Completion CAT Round 1 Approval Complete July 2011
HLF Round 1 Submission July 2011 (Development funding)
HLF Round 1 Approval November 2011 (Development funding)
CAT stage 2 submission January 2012
CAT stage 2 Approval June 2012
HLF Round 2 Submission June 2012 (Delivery funding)
HLF Round 2 Approval October 2012 (Delivery funding)
Let refurbishment contract January 2013
Contract completion March 2014
Open to the public May 2014
The Risks associated with this proposal
35. There is a risk that not all funding grants will be approved which would require a reasonable re-assessment of the refurbishment project.
36. There is a risk that the Trust does not generate enough income to either meet or exceed the costs of operating the whole site which could see the house and grounds returned to the Council under a legal obligation at some time. This could place the Council under financial pressure.
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Proposed Solutions
37. A working group consisting of Council Officers and members of the Trust are overseeing the application of grants and funding, the requirement for full funding for this project is paramount to avoid the current adhoc arrangement of refurbishment.
38. HLF funding requires an external independent assessment of the Trust’s business case at the round 2 stage before the main allocation of delivery funding is approved. In addition the Council will commission an independent accountant who has experience of Trust management to review the business case not less than 4 weeks before the round 2 application is submitted. No joint partnership agreement between the Trust and the Council will be entered into until the Council is satisfied that the Trust can meet the financial obligation of trading without a deficit.
Local Member Consultation
39. Local members have been consulted and are supportive of the proposal.
Reasons for Recommendations
40. To enable Members to agree a long term approach for the future of Insole Court and gardens.
Legal Implications
41. The Council is obliged to dispose of its property interests for the best consideration reasonably obtainable pursuant to section 123 of the Local Government Act 1972. Pursuant to the General Disposal Consent (Wales) 2003, the Council may dispose of property at less than market value provided that the undervalue does not exceed £2m and the discounted disposal will provide economic social or environmental wellbeing for its area. The Council's procedure for the disposal of land to a sole bidder requires the decision makers to be satisfied that there are special purposes which justify such a disposal. The Procedure also requires advice from a professional valuer in regard to any property disposal. The decision makers therefore need to take account of the advice of the Strategic Estates Officer referred to in the body of this report.
Financial Implications
42. The report provides information on a number of external grant bids either being made or planned to be made by the Trust in order to raise funds for refurbishment. There are significant risks to this funding and the Council is being requested to pay a contribution of up to £380k should the level of required funding not be received by the Trust. This may potentially need to be factored into the budget process as part of the Council's Capital Programme in 2013/14 and beyond.
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43. The Trust is in the process of developing a business plan which will need to provide assurance on financial and operational sustainability. The transfer of any asset could still involve ongoing liabilities for the Council, such as maintenance, which are not yet determined. The terms and conditions of any grant agreements may also impose additional conditions on the Council. In addition there is a risk of negative financial impacts resulting from Value Added Tax that could fall on the Council, dependant on the terms of any lease agreement and also which organisation the funding for refurbishment is provided to. Accordingly it is essential that these VAT issues and the appraisal of the business plan are considered in further detail before any Joint Partnership Agreement and Asset transfer are progressed.
HR Implications
44. Discussions with HR and all parties involved concerning whether the transfer of staff under TUPE legislation is applicable are ongoing.
RECOMMENDATIONS
The Executive is recommended to:
(1) authorise Officers to continue with the proposal to transfer operation and management of Insole Court, house and gardens to a Trust under a long term lease negotiated by the Council. Any agreement between the Council and the Trust will only be finalised after consultation with the Chief Corporate Services and S151 Officer
(2) consider including £380k when formulating budget proposals for the capital programme in 2013/14, subject to the outcome of external grant funding bids.
SARAH McGILL Corporate Chief Officer 9 September 2011
The following Appendices are attached
Appendix 1 - Draft heads of terms agreement Appendix 2 - Heritage lottery fund application Appendix 3 - Insole court floor plans Appendix 4 - Proposed capital funding table
The following Background Papers have been taken into account:
• Draft Conservation Management Plan • 2011 Cardiff Listed Buildings at Risk Survey, undertaken by The Handley Partnership.
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HEADS OF TERMS
INSOLE COURT
THE PARTIES : (1) Cardiff Council of County Hall, Atlantic Wharf, Cardiff CF10 4UW (‘the Council’)
(2) Insole Court Trust – Ymddiredolaeth Cwrt Insole of Insole Court, Fairwater Road, Llandaff, Cardiff CF5 2LF (‘the Trust’)
THE PROJECT : The proposed works to and restoration and maintenance of the Property (as defined below)
THE BID : A joint stage 1 bid to be submitted by the Trust and the council to the Heritage Lottery Fund for funding in order to bring the Project to fruition
THE PROPERTY : Insole Court which comprises the main Court building, stable block and outbuildings, gardens and garden structures and boundaries.
THE The main Agreement between the Council and the Trust which will PARTNERSHIP detail the arrangements for carrying out the Project at the Property AGREEMENT : and for its subsequent operation.
THE MAIN Subject to a successful Bid the terms to be included in the TERMS : Partnership Agreement drafted during the development stage of the project as set out briefly below
STATUS: These heads of terms are provided to enable the submission of a Round 1 application to the Heritage Lottery fund. The terms do not bind the parties other than in making the application until such time as funding is offered pursuant to the application and the parties agree to go forward with the project and accept the funding offer.
1. The parties to make joint application to HLF and such other funders as might be identified and to use their joint best endeavours to secure funds sufficient for the full renewal and conservation of the property.
2. The Council to contribute funds to the Project as might be agreed so as to match the funding of HLF and others.
3. The parties to secure funds for specific development work to prepare the project for final funding approval by the funders, securing and contributing funds specifically for this development work each on their own risk.
4. The Council to act as banker for the implementation phase of the restoration and development, and to manage the implementation so as to meet the plan presented to funders and minimise negative cash flow and taxation costs.
5. The Trust to raise funds for the development and once complete, subject to the provisions of the partnership agreement, to develop and secure income from its activities so as to minimise the Council’s ongoing revenue obligations. 6. The Council to grant the Trust a lease of the Property for not less than 25 years, the term to be agreed in the Partnership Agreement, the lease to be given at the completion of works to the Premises.
7. The Council to be represented on the board of trustees of the Trust from the signing of the Partnership Agreement.
8. Subject to the provisions of the partnership agreement and lease, the Trust to be responsible under the lease for the management of the Property to ensure that it (and every part) remains in good and safe condition throughout the period of the lease, including fundraising to achieve this end.
9. Subject to the provisions of the partnership agreement and the lease, the Council to maintain responsibility for landlord’s major repairs and building insurance.
10. The new Trust to manage the Property and be responsible for delivering the annual business plan as agreed by the Parties. The trust to be VAT Registered and all operating surpluses to be invested by the Trust in accordance with its objects and the Partnership Agreement.
Signed on behalf of the parties this day of 2011
……………………………………………….
Cardiff Council
……………………………………………….
Insole Court Trust
Version 11 Application Form for Heritage Grants Appendix 2
Application Form for Heritage Grants
Notes on Completion You should read the help notes when filling in this application form. Keep your answers as brief as possible. Unless specified we do not have a word limit. However, as a guide, we would not expect your answers to any of the seven sections to be more than 1,000 words (about two sides of typed A4).
We support projects that relate to the national, regional or local heritage of the UK.
To receive a grant your project must: Help people to learn about their own and other people's heritage.
Your project must also do either or both of the following: Conserve the UK's diverse heritage for present and future generations to experience and enjoy. Help more people, and a wider range of people, to take an active part in and make decisions about heritage. Once your application is complete you should print out the declaration, ask the appropriate person to sign it, and send it, along with hard copies of any supporting documents you cannot send electronically, to your regional or country HLF office.
The official date we receive your application is when we have received your correct supporting documents and correctly signed declaration after submission of this online form. We will not assess your application if you have not: Answered all the questions. Provided the correct supporting documents (do not send more than we ask for). Included the correct signature on the declaration.
What is your project title? The Renewal of Insole Court
Reference number HG-11-00850
Page: 1 Version 11 Application Form for Heritage Grants Section One - Your Organisation Your Organisation
1a Name of your The Friends of Insole Court organisation
Address of your organisation: Address line 1 John Prior-Morris (Chairman) Address line 2 Insole Court Address line 3 Fairwater Road Town / city CARDIFF County Postcode CF5 2LF
1b Is the address of your project the same as 1a? Yes
1c Details of main contact person
Name David Clarke
Position Supporting application process Is the main contact address the same as 1a? Yes
Daytime phone number (inc 0121 634 3326 area code) - this should not a mobile number. Mobile number (optional)
Email address [email protected]
Organisation not in the public sector
Community or voluntary group
If your organisation is any of the following, please provide the details shown. Company - give registration number 7705519 Registered charity in England, Wales or Scotland - give registration number awaiting Charity recognised by HM Revenue and Customs in Northern Ireland - give reference number
Page: 2 Version 11 Application Form for Heritage Grants 1e Describe your organisation's main purpose and regular activities. This is a joint application between Insole Court Trust Ymddiredolaeth Cwrt Insole and Cardiff Council. The agreement between the parties is set out in supporting document SD2 and consists of a commitment to jointly develop nad deliver the project, with the Council then making a long peppercorn lease to the Trust to operate the renewed site.
The lead applicant is Insole Court Trust (we’ve used the English only throughout the application for consistency)
The Insole Court Trust was formed to restore, develop and safeguard Insole Court for future generations and to engage the public in understanding its crucial link to the Industrial Heritage of the nation.
Our objects are:
- To operate all or parts of Insole Court House and Grounds under such agreement as might be resolved for the education and general benefit of the people of Cardiff and of Wales and for all visitors;
- To lead the planning and realisation of the rehabilitation and ongoing sustainability of the house, its environs and gardens;
- To work with all appropriate organisations in promoting full use by the community of Insole Court House and Grounds;
- To support the research, recording and interpretation of any matters relevant to the history of Insole Court, the Insole family and their business enterprises and the role played by the House and family in the development of historic and contemporary society in Wales.
Our Articles of Association and our certificate of incorporation are attached as supporting document SD1.
The new Trust has been formed as a legal entity to enable Insole Court to be transferred, through a Community Asset Transfer, from Cardiff Council to the local community. The activities of the Trust will ensure that this historic building will be transferred in a fit condition that will, in future, allow the heritage of the site to be significantly enhanced.
Currently, activities at Insole Court are undertaken by the Friends of Insole Court and Cardiff Council. The Friends of Insole Court organise a wide range of activities and regular events including:
• Volunteer welcomer/guides are on duty in the Court throughout the week. • Open days & "Edwardian Tea Room" in Civic Trust's 'Open Doors' programme. • An ongoing Archive Study Group to oversee study and future publications. • A Schools Liaison Working Group hosts visits by school groups and provides activities for them. • A FIC 50+ Group, formed with Age Concern, provides weekly talks and activities. • A Community Garden group bringing walled garden back into productive use.
The Council organises and hosts many regular activities including:
• Yoga, Meditation and Pilates classes • Maths and English tuition for local children • Welsh and Spanish language classes • Tap and modern dance, softplay for toddlers and craft classes
In addition the Court is hired regularly by a wide range of local groups and societies and for weddings and parties.
The Friends have been increasingly active in exploring and celebrating the heritage of the Court in recent years, culminating in our hugely successful ‘Your heritage’ project supported by HLF. Our report on that project is attached – supporting document SD12
The Trust intends that these activities will continue and more focused heritage tours and themed events will be developed as more of the building is brought back into use.
Page: 3 Version 11 Application Form for Heritage Grants
1f Describe the size and staff structure of your organisation. Insole Court Trust currently has a subscriber membership of 14, a Board of five Founder Trustees and a growing, and complimentary Volunteer Resource with essential competence and skills in: Management; Building; Gardens and Activities. These volunteers are beginning to form the nucleus of the proposed Advisory Working Groups in each of these areas.
Personnel: Skills and Competences and Trustee CVs are in our supporting documents SD13.
Insole Court Trust has grown out of and works closely alongside the Friends of Insole Court which has 700 members, and a management committee of twelve, and established teams of volunteers.
There is a Concordat between Insole Court Trust and FIC which recognises their relative roles. There is also a well-defined Stakeholder, Relationship and Management Structure Plan. Both of these are included in our supporting documents, SD14.
Insole Court Trust currently has no paid staff.
We plan to engage a Project Director at the HLF development stage.
A staff structure for the future operation of site will be detailed in the development stage, in preparation for the Insole Court Trust to take over the day-to-day management of Insole Court from 2014, when the works to house and gardens are completed.
Insole Court is currently managed by Cardiff Council staff, including a Manager for the Court who works in close co-operation with Friends of Insole Court volunteers. The Manager and his staff currently report to the Head of Service - Community Facilities, Graham Craven, who is also the Council’s lead officer for the redevelopment project. Cardiff Council staff will continue working as now until the transfer date. Friends of Insole Court volunteers will continue seamlessly with their current roles, working with and alongside the Trust to ensure that consultation, volunteer commitment and expertise and the participation of local communities are at the heart of the development of the project.
1g Bank account details Account name Insole Court Trust - Ymddiredolaeth Cwrt Insole
Bank / building society name NatWest
Address line 1 Cardiff North Branch Address line 2 21 High Street Address line 3 Llandaff Town / city Cardiff County Cardiff Postcode CF5 2YT
Sort code (please use the 53-70-30 format 11-11-11)
Select option Account number only
Account number
1h Are you VAT registered? No
Page: 4 Version 11 Application Form for Heritage Grants 1i Does your project involve buildings, land or heritage items? Yes
Referring to the ownership requirements in the Introduction, please answer the following questions.
Does your organisation have, or are you planning to take out, a mortgage or other loans secured on the property or item? No
Does your organisation own the building, land or heritage items outright? No
Does your organisation have a leasehold on the building, land or items?
1j Does your project involve the acquisition of a building, land or heritage items? No
1k Have you received advice from us before making your application? Yes
Tell us the name of the person you have discussed your project with Liz Girling, Robert Vokes, HLF Wales
Page: 5 Version 11 Application Form for Heritage Grants Section Two - The Heritage 2a What is the heritage your project focuses upon? Insole Court is a nationally and internationally known and fascinating former grand family house in Llandaff in Cardiff. The House is of heritage significance, not only for its architectural and garden design importance in Wales but, through its key role in larger stories of industrial history and the peoples who lived in, came to and went out from Wales in the nineteenth century when South Wales was at the heart of the shaping of modern Britain.
The house was first built in 1855 for James Harvey Insole, a coal merchant and a man of growing importance in Cardiff. Through the rest of the 19th and into the early 20th century, James Harvey and his son George Frederick extended and improved the house and garden to the fashions of their day; first Victorian Gothic by James and then Neo-Georgian by Fred.
The family had risen to some standing in society but with the decline of the coal industry in the 20th century their fortunes turned.
The building was acquired by Cardiff Council in the early 1930’s and it has been in a variety of uses since including a public library, residential accommodation, college facilities for Llandaff College and as a focus for community activities.
The extensive gardens have been open to the public almost continually since the Council’s acquisition in 1931.
After a gradual decline and falling into disuse, especially after the closure of the library in the late 1970’s, the Council eventually decided in 1988 to dispose of the Court but in 1993 had to reverse its decision in the face of considerable local protest led by the Insole Court Action Group, which in due course became the Friends of Insole Court as discussed in answer to question 1e.
The stories that Insole Court tells are both specific to Wales and resonant with visitors from much farther afield.
Rhondda Coal The Insole story encapsulates a period of Victorian entrepreneurial zeal, as they are one of the families that founded the Rhondda Valley’s coal boom. These pioneers opened up and exploited the coal fields of South Wales, and provided the steam coal that would fuel the early steamships of the 19th century, trading across the world - often described historically as ‘the coal that fuelled the Empire’.
Insole Court – house, family and society Insole Court is a unique, surviving example of the evolution in domestic architecture from the Victorian, Edwardian and Post-War periods, dating from 1856 to the present day. The three generations of the Insole family who lived In the House show a fascinating picture of an aspiring family’s rise to gentrification, involving such notable people as the Marquis of Bute, Brunel, Lord Baden-Powell, and DH Lawrence. The interiors of the Court reflect the ‘Upstairs, Downstairs’ life, and how it evolved over the generations.
War The House also offers the opportunity to interpret the heritage of the First and Second World Wars through the stories of those who went from the house (from all classes) to war in 1914/19, the effect of that war and the death of the heir to the house on families and houses like this all over Britain and, more recently, our unusual examples of the nation’s defence strategy for the Cold War in its bunkers and command centre.
Gardens Over the generations, the Insole Gardens were acclaimed internationally and still contain many fine specimens of horticulture and much listed stonework. Now open to and enjoyed by the public as a garden and park and as a place for events and celebrations, the gardens are a fascinating insight into the way garden and public space have changed in our cities over the last 150 years.
Page: 6 Version 11 Application Form for Heritage Grants 2b Why is your heritage important and who is it important to? Insole Court’s heritage is important, as the Grade 2* listed mansion is a building of significant historical importance, with Grade 2 listed Stable Blocks, and gardens that are included in the Welsh Register of Historic Gardens as Grade 2.
The heritage of the Insoles is an important example of social history as they are of one of the founding families of the coal industry in the Rhondda Valleys. The family were central players in the era when Coal was King. Their entrepreneurial endeavours supplying the Royal Navy with steam coal played a vital role in the growth of the Empire and international trading links.
It provides the essential link between the coal fields of the Rhondda and the shipping industry based in what was then the world’s largest Docks, in Cardiff. It is a delightful setting which we plan to use as a central point from which visitors can engage with this vital part of our national heritage.
The architecture of the House is a domestic reflection of Cardiff Castle in miniature, featuring the work of skilled artisans, many under the tutelage of William Burges. It uniquely illustrates the evolution of architectural styles from Victorian gothic, through Edwardian restraint, to World War 2 functionality. It is a fine example of an aspiring family and their rise from humble beginnings.
This heritage really excites local visitors when they come to the Court and discover it. The Court still feels very much like a family house in some ways and visitors appreciate the insight it gives them into the forces and lives that shaped their community and their city. In our 'Your Heritage' project and our research more generally over the last twenty years, we have also come to realise how important the story of Insole Court is to people from far and wide.
This heritage is important to the nation. Historians are fascinated by its links to the history of Wales and the wider world, as well as its unique architecture. It is a rare surviving example, having been little altered in recent years. Continuous research is revealing the extent of the Insole family’s involvement in trade and politics, a story that has been wiped from the history books for reasons that are slowly emerging.
Visitors come from all over Britain and from overseas, despite the limitations of the House and the severe restrictions on their access to its heritage. Also, the family’s many literary and artistic publications are being discovered – most recently, some tucked away in the British Library.
Alongside this heritage, Insole Court is especially valued by the wider community of Llandaff and neighbouring areas as a community resource. The site has been in community use for over half a century and many members of the local community have campaigned enthusiastically for the building’s survival, seeing it as an asset which could be greatly enhanced to be a much improved facility for the area.
Notwithstanding the significance of our heritage and the growing appreciation of it locally, nationally and internationally, we are so severely limited in what we can do to share this inspirational heritage with more and wider audiences, and to ensure its conservation for the future.
This has been a constant theme in the things people tell us in our long and extensive consultation. Events such as the Civic Society 'Open Doors' event - when more than 300 people came, more than half of them for the first time and said things like "“Have lived all me life in Cardiff, was amazed to find such history on my doorstep” have showed us the need to make a real step change in the presentation of the Court, its profile and its activities.
This programme of consultation has gone on and gathered pace through out our long development of the project. For example, we produced a consultation leaflet specifically on our redevelopment plans this spring (leaflet and report on consultation attached in Supporting Document 15) and we have succeeded in reaching more than 1,000 people in a month.
Throughout, as the consultation reports and the verbatim quotes from visitors show, there has been interest and excitement about the house, frustration that so much of its heritage is locked away and inaccessible and enormous enthusiasm for the redevelopment project. The very specific and useful comments from people about what they want to see developed at Insole Court has helped to shape the project as it is set out here in this application.
Page: 7 Version 11 Application Form for Heritage Grants 2c How do you manage your heritage today? We manage our heritage today through the existing partnership between Cardiff Council and the Friends of Insole Court.
Currently the Court is managed by the Community Facilities section of Cardiff Council, represented on the site by a full time site manager and a small number of other part time staff who manage the building and book and oversee activity. The gardens are managed by the Council parks department whose staff cover a range of sites and are not based at Insole Court.
The Friends are very active in this management and we are already in a very full partnership with the Council. The Friends' contribution is entirely undertaken by more than 100 volunteers contributing to many areas of the operation.
Notwithstanding the efforts of both the Council and the Friends’ volunteers, our heritage is at risk and there are very substantial barriers to people having access to it, appreciating and enjoying it.
Insole Court has long been in need of investment to conserve and restore its heritage and to bring more of the House back into being accessible, interpreted and used.
Working with the Friends through the joint Working Group, the Council appointed Purcell Miller Tritton architects and a team of other professionals in October 2010 to carry surveys and a Conservation Management Plan for the Court and this is attached as Supporting Document 10.
Our surveys ad the CMP shows that whilst the main ground floor rooms have been renovated, very large parts of the house remain closed off to the public and in dilapidation.
As our visual aids document SD 5 shows, these areas of the House are at significant risk and we are concerned that despite the best efforts of the Council, if major investment cannot be made soon, they will deteriorate yet further and more rapidly.
Upstairs in particular, all rooms are boarded and locked off because they are unsafe and decaying. These are the most precious rooms in the house. in particular the Library with its paintings and mottoes - “Wisdom adorns riches and it shadows poverty” and “The wealth of the mind is the only true wealth”. These important heritage assets are very much under threat.
Even if they were open to the public, it would be difficult for everyone to enjoy them as the building has no lift access to upper floors or basement. This is one aspect of the house that needs complete rethinking so as to ensure that all our visitors can enjoy the whole of the house.
At second floor there are a series of smaller rooms which would once have been, among other things, servants quarters and these remain inaccessible. Beyond them, one of our most talked about features, the tower, remains at present inaccessible to visitors who tell us often that they would really like to go up the tower to see the estate and the view across Cardiff.
The principal outbuilding on the site is the Stable Block (listed grade II) situated to the north-east of the house. At present this is derelict, with all the doors and windows blocked up with concrete blocks. Much of the roof structure is severely deteriorated and collapsed. There is substantial vegetation growth within the roof structure and the building has been damaged by arson attack and has now been shorn of lead flashings. Without quite urgent repair this lovely and historic building is seriously at risk. Indeed in recent years, neighbours feeling blighted by its condition have campaigned for its demolition and without investment we fear that this will again become a real threat.
In the grounds more generally, there is a significant need for improvement. There are interesting heritage features in some of the second word war buildings and of course in the historic gardens. Some such as the productive gardens have fallen into disrepair and now need to be renewed if people are to be able to enjoy them.
Alongside a major investment to improve and renew the Court and its grounds, we have opportunities to improve the management of the heritage of the site, as the newly formed Insole Court Trust takes on responsibility for its operation from the Council.
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Although the Council will still take care of the major maintenance, we will be able to raise and dedicate more money to the upkeep of the site, bring more volunteer time and energy to bear on supervision and care and operate and make accessible greater parts of the house to all.
2d How do people get involved with and learn about your heritage now? One of the main jobs of the Friends has been to work with the Council to attract visitors to the Court and, once they arrive, to give them opportunities to learn about the house, its significance and the stories of the family and community that created it.
Our two-year HLF Your Heritage Interpretation Project grant has enabled us to interpret the house better and to reach out to many more people beyond the site as well:
- FIC welcomer guides offer visitors a warm welcome with a range of information in a variety of formats both in the House and the grounds, and guided tours.
- Our publicity includes a popular web site, leaflets, brown signs and close links with local media outlets.
- There is a timeline in the House that places the Insole story within the context of pertinent national and international events.
- The initial HLF funding also enabled FIC to provide a touchscreen, display cabinets with artefacts, and interpretive panels in the Gardens, giving information about both the Court and the Gardens.
- School visits are enhanced as heritage can be brought to life with the popular appearance of our own Butler and Housekeeper, and have hands on experience of being a servant in the Victorian era.
- We organise many activities in the house and the grounds, including regular picnics, Edwardian teas, plant exchanges, lectures, talks and tours, open days as part of national events and many specific events for groups such as the University of the Third Age, WI and others.
- We regularly travel outside the immediate area to tell the story of the Insoles through presentations and talks and attend local and national history fairs.
- The Research group, developed with HLF funding, is growing and thriving with a dedicated website, and it has discovered documents throughout the UK to add to the Insole story. It has dedicated researchers based in London, Ireland, South Africa and Australia, who are researching the extended family.
- We have developed an informative website (http://www.insolecourt.org.uk/) which tells people about the house and regularly updates what is happening and what they can participate in.
Visitors are delighted by their experience but realise that we are constrained by being unable to access our small number of heritage rooms (because being only four of them they are booked solidly for activity and hires) and the upstairs, particularly the tower.
People also get involved through our really extensive volunteer programme. We have large and thriving volunteer groups working with the gardens; welcoming; guiding; research; 50+ involvement; housekeeping tasks; student work experience; reminiscences from visitors; fundraising; catering for events such as Edwardian Teas (and crafting the necessary Edwardian hats).
However, despite this success, there are barriers to how far we can get people to come to the Court, get them involved and help them learn about the heritage.
Most obvious among these is the frustration people feel when they cannot have access to the majority and finest of the original rooms of the house, which we discuss in answer to 2c.
More generally, a lack of space and facilities inhibits community use. The house is full and overflowing and no further activities can be organised. Often we have to undertake Friends activities elsewhere because the house is simply full and cannot accommodate us. We have patiently built relationships with schools and when
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they visit they enjoy it, but we do not have the spaces and sympathetic and equipped learning facilities they need to take their involvement much further and get more from their visits.
Many people tell us they would do more and enjoy more if there was facility to enable them to do so. With only a small part of the house in use, the site doesn't currently support the services visitors enjoy and tell us they want more of. The cafe opens only fitfully and our immensely popular 'Edwardian Teas' can be staged only infrequently.
Without these facilities, our aim of engaging more people, including families and young people, remain frustrated. This is compounded by a lack of resources for volunteers and of staff support for all our activities since the end of the 'Your Heritage' project which limits what we can do and places a great strain on the Friends.
Page: 10 Version 11 Application Form for Heritage Grants Section Three - Your Project 3a What is your project? (up to 200 words) Together Insole Court Trust and Cardiff Council will restore and bring to life one of Britain’s hidden Victorian gems.
We will preserve Insole Court from threat through decay. From the extreme threat to the Stable Block to the unsafe and deteriorating main heritage rooms of the upper floors of the house, we will conserve, transform and celebrate the house and its gardens.
Completed, the house will be accessible to all, interpreted and supported by visitor facilities that attract many more, and more diverse people to learn about and enjoy the house and its stories.
Within this transformed house and garden, Insole Court will become a centre of learning focussing on the rise and fall of the Rhondda Steam Coal Age, its entrepreneurs and its impact on world trade and commerce, the stories the house tells of the evolution of family life in Victorian Britain and the resonance and relevance of these stories for the lives of people in our communities now.
Finally, the project will deliver new facilities for the community, for activity and wellbeing, which will in turn support a viable and positive business plan which will secure the future of the house and gardens for posterity.
3b What will your project do? Our project will meet the HLF priorities for learning, conservation and participation.
LEARNING
The project will address the frustrations and limitations on learning which we identified in section 2, through renovation and interpretation of the house and garden and significant new programmes of learning activity.
We will help people to learn about the heritage of the Court and the national and international significance of the Rhondda Steam Coal Age by exploring and telling the history of Insole Court, through the Victorian and Edwardian eras and through two world wars in the context of the history and people of South Wales, the people who built it, lived and worked in it.
We will engage visitors through interpretation of the restored house and grounds by way of exhibition and displays, information panels, new guide material for varying audiences and some limited audio visual material building on the work of our 'Your Heritage' project.
We will develop a series of trails around the house and site, enabling visitors to explore different aspects of its history. These will be supported by new leaflet/guides and wayfinding/information points in the house and grounds. We will consult with local disability groups and disabled users and support future disabled visitors through excellent physical access, audio versions of interpretation material, braille signage and interpretation, large print and other accessible information and induction loop facilities. We will develop more active experiential learning opportunities, particularly for young people as part of their visits, including re-enactments of domestic life.
We will foster people's opportunities to learn through continued and increased open days and events, including house 'Open Doors' type events, picnics and garden parties and heritage weekends with the house opened building on our current work. Because the project will enable the Trust to take on management of the House, current restrictions on how often and when we host these days will be removed.
We will be able to build on our current walks and tours, both for general visitors and for specific groups who approach us and who we want to see come to and enjoy the house.
Our current programmes of musical and other events will be extended by the new spaces and resources the project will deliver.
Our new learning spaces and facilities will enable us to really develop our relationships with schools, and we will develop a new set of learning materials with teachers to support these visits and activities.
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Our 50+ groups will benefit from better facilities and we will carry out audience development to increase awareness of and attendance at these events even further. One of our aims, frustrated at the moment by constraints of space and resource is to build links between the different generations who use and value Insole Court through inter-generational projects.
We have a strong commitment to training and the new facilities for our own work and for social and community enterprises will enable us to establish a range of new training opportunities and other ways in which this project will help people learn new skills and pathways to employment.
We aim to begin courses in heritage craft skills, contributing to the project and then continuing after. Others will continue throughout the project period, including horticultural training building on our beginnings in this work already, training in archive management and research, training in visitor guiding and visitors services.
Our Heritage Research Group will be strengthened and supported. It is in constant learning mode and is interesting many more people in heritage. Two new heritage publications are being prepared and work such as this will be continued throughout this project. Learning will then be disseminated through Welcomer Guides to visitors to the Court.
CONSERVATION
The project will conserve the heritage building and gardens of Insole Court, preserving the site from the threats we identified in section 2 and securing its historic fabric and its future survival and maintenance for posterity.
During the development stage we will be able to commission surveys and detailed investigation of the original fabric and decorations of the House so as to faithfully restore it.
We will be able to realise the recommendations of the conservation management plan and put the House in a condition which will enable its maintenance thereafter by the Trust. This will involve a full programme of repair and conservation of all listed buildings and structures, to the highest conservation standards.
We will be able to create a special volunteer and training project to document the development process, recording before and after the works, evaluating their progress and success and creating a permanent record of what is achieved.
Our Buildings Working Group members will take the opportunity to engage with contractors and make themselves very familiar with the conservation methods being applied, both for current awareness and future reference.
PARTICIPATION
The project offers the major opportunity of moving from the current situation where the Council operates the site and we help, advise and support to one where the Trust will be the moving force in thinking about, planning and delivering what happens at Insole Court.
This participation in the decisions about the future of the Court is already growing as we plan our project.
It has been the policy of Insole Court Trust from the outset to engage in wide spheres of consultation, achieving more than one thousand contacts during the CAT consultation period. We would anticipate repeating this frequently and encouraging participation.
From the initial consultation, we identified a number of people who were keen to participate and offer their skills to the Board. Four working groups have been formed to enable them to work within their chosen field of interest. In our supplementary documents we have included a diagram setting out the stakeholders with whom we shall be ensuring participation. They include the key local associations and groups, and those participating in our working groups.
In turn the Friends and the Trust will continue to engage many hundreds of people in this decision making, and to work closely with the Llandaff Society, Insole Court Residents' Association and other community
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groups.
The Friends of Insole Court has always been a volunteer led organisation. In recent years we have been monitoring more than 5,000 volunteer hours committed to the project each year.
For the new project, as we take on full responsibility for the site, we will build on this model to attract, support, train and benefit from more volunteers who will in turn contribute approaching 10,000 hours per annum across the whole project.
By the end of the five years we anticipate that more than 150 individuals will be volunteering annually for the project, supported by a volunteer coordinator within a framework overseen by the expert working groups of the new Trust.
Our volunteers are already quite diverse, but we recognise that we need to seek to make sure that they are really representative of the wider communities we serve.
We will seek to engage more young people through volunteering opportunities that meet their needs for placements, accreditation and skills-focused learning.
We will seek to increase the proportion of our volunteers from the minority ethnic communities by developing patterns of volunteering with community organisations that enable their participation and by targeting our talks and other outreach work with those communities.
We will make sure that our volunteering opportunities include a broad range of ways of getting involved for all members of the community, including disabled people and those with special needs, as we are beginning to do with our community garden project. Current experience is showing this to be highly successful.
3c How have you arrived at this project? The project is the culmination of many years working together, between local residents and local authorities - and more recently, the Friends of Insole Court and Cardiff Council, in the development of the Heritage Lottery Programme since 2008.
Initially from 1989, when residents campaigned against a proposed disposal of the Court by the Cardiff City (then 'District') Council. Again in 2006, the sudden closure of the house triggered a return to campaigning as FIC led a coalition of local organisations under the banner “Insole Court Action Alliance” dedicated to its early reopening. These were The Llandaff Society (affiliated to the Civic Trust), The Insole Estate Residents' Association, Llandaff Citizens' Association, and the Victorian Society.
The Campaign was successful and two year later the house reopened after significant refurbishment of the ground floor.
Since that time we have worked to support the Council to make a success of the elements that are accessible and, increasingly, to explore how the rest of the Court could be conserved and renewed and made accessible.
However we have remained aware that until this is achieved, risks remain to the heritage and integrity of the site. There were, at one time, plans to sell the historic stable block to a housing developer to fund urgent repairs in the House.
This concern and the realisation by the Council that there was a really substantial body of people who love the Court and want to see it succeed, has led us to develop over the last four or five years a new level of understanding with the Council about the way forward.
Over this period we have built an excellent working relationship with the Council and its officers. This relationship has now developed to the point where the Friends and Council are working together through an Insole Court Working Group to promote proposals for the major redevelopment.
This culminated in the recent commission of a team of specialist and experienced consultants led by architects Purcell Miller Tritton in autumn 2010 to carry out a Conservation Management Plan (which is a supplementary document (10)) which identified the challenges of the site, but also the potential for a
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transforming project to conserve and develop it.
In January 2011 combined with business planning and community business and development consultants, DCA, Purcell Miller Tritton were commissioned to produce an options appraisal (supporting document 11).
With the help of the consultants (who have been funded by the Council thus far) option G has now been developed so that we understand how it would work in outline in activity and business terms and we made a Round 1 application to the Big Lottery/WAG Community Asset Transfer fund in March which we have just heard has been successful with a round 1 approval of £35,000 toward development costs and a potential grant of just under £800,000 if our round 2 application is similarly successful.
We have had discussions with the Council about the way the development project and subsequent handover of responsibility would be achieved and though we have more work to do on the detail of this in the development stage, we feel we now have a robust and clear way forward that offers a really inspirational opportunity for Insole Court.
As we have consulted widely on the project, we have been really pleased at the support and enthusiasm of those to whom we have talked.
The evidence of need and support among users and the general public is shown by the success of the project since its reopening in 2008. The House now attracts more than 51,000 visits a year and is full. FIC membership has grown rapidly over the same period and now stands at more than 700.
This support has been reflected in the consultations we have conducted - in May alone we have reached more than 1,000 individuals and had the warmest response.
We have talked to our immediate neighbours because the House is in the middle of a primarily residential area and to the dog-walkers and others who use the gardens regularly. All have been supportive of our way forward.
Local community groups and those with a special interest including The Llandaff Society, The Insole Estate Residents Association and the Victorian Society have continued to be very supportive.
The County Council understand how the development fits their strategies for Cardiff and through the Community Asset Transfer application process, we had the opportunity to see that the project also fits many strategies of the Welsh Assembly Government and, in terms of community development and wellbeing, the Big Lottery.
So far no one has objected to our plans and we hope that continued openness and consultation we will continue to have complete support for the project as it moves forward.
At this point then, we are sufficiently advanced in our thinking to have a clear plan for the project. Our CMP is complete and we have an options appraisal that is equivalent to RIBA Stage B with some elements of RIBA C achieved already. We already have confirmed support (subject to the whole package being successful) of substantial capital funds from CAT and Cardiff Council.
In the next month we will make further applications for support to CADW and to the WAG Community Facilities and Activities Programme.
The Trust and FIC are also working on their own fundraising strategy to ensure that funds are raised from the community to show how much the redevelopment is needed and wanted by local people.
If the HLF application is not successful, much and possibly all of the plan will be frustrated. We believe that this is a once only opportunity to bring together support and funds to make this very special project happen.
The City Council’s commitment to fund any shortfall of funding up to almost £500,000 (plus commitments to urgent repairs which will be put in hand immediately on HLF Round 1 approval) to this project means other projects in the City have to take a lower priority and hence their commitment must be subject to the availability of the matching funding anticipated from other sources such as CAT, the HLF and Cadw.
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If HLF’s funding is not available it is unlikely the Council will continue to prioritise the Insole Court project and the funds will be diverted to other projects in the City and will be lost to Insole Court. It is not clear that the CAT committee could agree such a large contribution from them to a radically smaller scheme without the strength of partnerships that the full project offers.
This would mean that the gradual decline of Insole Court would continue and eventually will threaten the historic fabric of the house and gardens.
Page: 15 Version 11 Application Form for Heritage Grants Section Four - Project Outcomes 4a What difference will your project make to your heritage? The project will protect the currently derelict areas of the main house and stables from further deterioration, conserve and restore them so that they are accessible to and can be appreciated by this and future generations.
For those areas of the Court that are currently in use, the project will improve the standard of the conservation and presentation of the heritage character of the building, returning it to a more authentic representation of its time as a major domestic house.
Throughout the building, preventative treatments will ensure that the historic fabric of the house is preserved for the long term from deterioration.
The renewal and completion of building and environmental systems will help protect the building from damage and deterioration and ensure the preservation of historic materials and features.
Insensitive improvements from the twentieth century will be removed and original uses, finishes and fittings restored and revealed.
By sensitively providing new access arrangements, the building will be opened to many more and diverse visitors to appreciate its quality and its history.
The project will relieve the current friction between booked learning and community activities which have to happen in the small number of useable rooms, which are also important heritage spaces, and our desire to create an open, accessible and welcoming experience for an increasing number of visitors.
Bringing much more of the house into accessibility and productive use will allow us to use spaces for activities to which they are best suited. This will enable spaces to be less damaged by their use, give more time for maintenance and care, and improve public access to all spaces.
Externally, the envelope of the house will be sensitively repaired so as to ensure that current threats from leaks and damp are dealt with. Security will be improved, protecting the House and its contents from damage from theft or vandalism. Where appropriate features and artefacts will be further protected by cases or screens.
Outside the house, the gardens will benefit from renewal and repair so that they can be better maintained and more widely used. Repairs to historic structure will make them safe and extend their life. Improvements to boundaries and gates will improve security of both gardens and house, protecting from theft and vandalism.
Through this restoration of house and gardens, the maintenance planning and schedule in our Conservation Management Plan will be enabled for the long term. This plan will continue to be improved and educated by continuing research and learning about and documentation of the Court supported by our activity programme.
This long term maintenance will be assured by the new income that we will earn from use of the restored Court and from a larger, appropriately trained and skilled team of volunteers who will emerge from our activities in the delivery period of the project with new skills and a detailed appreciation of the Court and its needs.
Although Cardiff Council is currently committed to Insole Court and a very supportive partner in this project, the experience of the last twenty five years in which we have seen various threats to sell off or damage the integrity of the heritage asset of the Court and gardens through inappropriate development, have led us to believe that a long term solution is needed. This project, including the transfer of the Court to the new Trust, will provide that long term surety of the future of the Court and gardens in public use and appreciation.
We will also have the opportunities to move our heritage to a higher level and to promote research and exploration into the links between Rhondda Steam Coal and the Insoles, and their impact on national and world trade.
Page: 16 Version 11 Application Form for Heritage Grants 4b What difference will your project make for people? The project will increase the times and occasions when people can visit by extending our voluntary opening of the historic parts of the house, reducing friction with regular uses and provide a trained and expanded volunteer team to welcome and guide visitors.
We anticipate that the number of visitors and participants will rise significantly from the current 51,000 to more than 70,000 and potentially higher still in future years.
More of the house will be open and interpreted and many more and diverse stories will be explored. Together with the added attraction of more activities and better visitor services, this will mean that many more people do visit the Court and appreciate it fully. This will benefit visitors and also to the local community, through the additional business it will generate.
Through our links with other heritage organisations and attractions in South Wales who also tell aspects of the story of how modern Wales was shaped by the industry and people of the nineteenth century, visitors to South Wales will learn about and enjoy a fuller story of that time and lives of those who lived through it.
For the first time, visitors with mobility needs will be able to have access to some of the most special areas of the Court and its heritage. By working with local groups such as our neighbours at the Disabled Living Centre at Rookwood Hospital and the local Headway Trust for people recovering from serious head injury (both of whom use Insole Court now) we will connect directly with people with special needs and in rehabilitation so that the Court makes a significant difference to the lives of these people.
Our programmes of activities, building on our work now but substantially increasing the range and amount of activity that people can participate in, will enable many more people to regularly enjoy shared activities around the heritage of the site, to develop new skills and to enrich their lives. Through training, placements and accreditation of some of our activity this will make a real difference to people’s wellbeing and to their economic situation.
The skills people learn at Insole Court will equip them to participate in the wider heritage sector, improving understanding of Wales’ heritage and its place in the story of Rhondda Steam Coal.
For people in and around Llandaff, the Court will be a centre for the community, for meeting and activities, learning and skills, employment and personal development.
Insole Court is already the base for the Wales Cooperative Centre, a major social enterprise whose purpose is to foster and support cooperative social business in Wales. This partnership with the Cooperative Centre will be extended so that the site’s new facilities will be the base for an anticipated ten or twelve community businesses/social enterprises.
These will develop services that already have a presence at the Court, for instance mother and toddler/nursery provision, day care and drop in support for elderly people and family carers, community training and learning organisations. The new café and event catering business on the site will be a social enterprise employing staff but also providing training and work placements for adults and for young people.
Through our work and the targeted approach discussed in section 3, we will attract people who might not currently be fully represented among our visitors. Through activity and as a result of outreach work and development, the project will reach and make a difference to people from the wards that surround Llandaff that face economic challenge and deprivation, members of the city’s minority and immigrant communities, elderly people, young people and the disabled.
Once the development project is complete, the local community will continue to be fully involved in decision making and governance and the project will continue to be fundamentally a volunteer endeavour (supported by a small team of staff). This will offer opportunities to many people to participate in the care for their community resource and strengthen local pride and voluntary organisation.
Page: 17 Version 11 Application Form for Heritage Grants 4c What are the main groups of people who will benefit from your project? We aim to reach as diverse and broad a range of audiences as possible already , but as we recognised in section 2, limitations on our facilities resources and awareness of the Court have to some degree limited what we have been able to achieve. The new project will lift many of these barriers and many more groups of people will benefit from Insole Court in the future:
• All who appreciate, are interested in and want to learn more about South Wales industrial, social and family histories, whether residents, visitors, amateur genealogists, students or researchers. • Local people will benefit from Insole Court in a range of ways - from opportunities to learn about and appreciate the history of their community; to meet and enjoy one another's perspectives, including across generations; from paid and unpaid jobs created by the Trust and by social and community enterprises based on the site. • Individuals, including people with special physical, learning and employment needs, from a range of opportunities to plan and participate in learning and training including, for instance, our productive kitchen garden project, offering pathways to employment through work experience and further training. • Families and children - from facilities for parents and toddlers and community childcare provision, and older members of the community from facilities for drop in, information and social facilities. • Community organisations and groups - from space for meetings, classes and activities and to be the base for their development and work. • Young people - from visits and activities with schools to placements and volunteering opportunities, particularly to support their Baccalaureates. • People with spare time and those not working; from opportunities to be active, including supported volunteering and training. • Local schools - from access to the heritage, garden plots for schools, spaces to enable learning on site and new learning resources addressing curriculum focus and extra-curricular activity. • Members of the community - from the gardens as safe public space for health and recreation, peace and tranquillity and nature and the ability to attend events, festivals, community and family celebrations. • The wider public and visitors - from access to the superb heritage of one of Wales’ most interesting houses and families. • People working in the local economy and businesses from additional visits, business from activities retained locally and indirect economic benefits of new activity.
These groups will together constitute a diverse range of people from all backgrounds. As we have said elsewhere in the application, Llandaff lies at the heart of an area where communities and individuals have special needs - In the eight wards surrounding Insole Court (within a 1.5 to 2.5mile radius of the Court), there are extensive areas of deprivation and disadvantage. 20% more people than the Cardiff average have no qualification and more people have long term limiting illnesses.
We will target activities and outreach work to make sure that people with greatest needs benefit from the project.
Cardiff is a multi-cultural community, including people whose families and ancestors lived through the period when Insole Court was conceived and built, those whose families came to Wales as a result of the industries and trade that the Insoles owned and which paid for Insole Court and those who continue to come to Wales to work and settle for whom Insole Court can be part of finding out about their new community and home.
We will ensure through our activities and outreach work that we reach people who have not perhaps thought of Insole Court and the heritage in general as their natural place and who represent the diversity of our community.
4d How will you maintain the benefits of your project in the long term? The basis of the project is not just to conserve and restore the heritage of the Court but to see it transferred to a new Trust led by the Friends which will ensure that its work and benefits for the heritage and for people are maintained in the long term.
By incorporating in the project a full programme of activities, capacity development for the new Trust and the volunteers who will run and largely operate it, we will set the new operation on a sound footing for when the HLF project ends.
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We will maintain the benefits to the heritage through the development and then the management of a new ten year maintenance plan for the site, building on and caring for the work that will be achieved by the project.
The future management of the project is based on partnership with the Council and with community groups and social enterprises and this will mean that there is a broad partnership at the end of the five years of people and organisations committed to continuing the benefits of the project for the local community.
This will be underpinned by the development of a sustainable business basis for the new Trust, as we discuss in section 7. This business plan will enable the Trust to employ a small staff, but the future of the project and the maintenance of its benefits for people through their participation in decision making and activity will be ensured by our continuing commitment to it being a volunteer led and operated project with many more and more diverse volunteers even that the current large and varied group.
We have a significant advantage in that we have a as a tenant of the Court the Wales Cooperative Centre who have offered to support and guide the Trust as we develop the capacity and skills to deliver this business plan and to be ready to operate the site.
Our outline business planning shows that with the income generated by both existing and new facilities and uses, and the continued support of Cardiff Council in the maintenance the exterior of the building in tenantable condition, we will be able to maintain our staff team in operations, learning and outreach to support our committee and volunteers after the project ends.
We therefore plan that the activities and benefits of the project during the project period will be sustained and in many cases will continue to grow, in the years after the project ends and for the long term.
4e How will your project affect the environment? The Friends will also wish to ensure that the sustainability of the project will be maximised. Working with the Council's team we have already made a significant difference by, for instance, ensuring the complete replacement of light bulbs with low energy fittings, etc.
Simple steps often make the biggest difference and, within the context of the conservation of the historic building, we will maximise insulation, minimise waste, rely where possible on natural sources of ventilation and daylight and provide systems which can readily and manually controlled so as to ensure that energy consumption is minimised.
Beyond these basics, the proposals will contain a range of provisions for reducing energy consumption, conserving energy and possibly generating energy. The application of the principles of sustainable design, construction and operation will be applied from the early stages of the project to completion, including through the capital project where we will require our contractor to demonstrate that they prioritise environmentally sensitive ways of working such as local sourcing, reducing embedded energy and adhering to all codes of practice on sustainable and recycled material use.
High level BREEAM ratings are difficult to achieve with historic buildings but our objective will be to implement a scheme for the existing buildings which would achieve a ‘good’ or ‘very good’ rating and an excellent rating for the new build café if assessed.
The overall effect of the project will be highly beneficial for the environment in the locality, providing an improved and high quality public green space and habitat at the heart of an otherwise quite built up area.
Once the capital project is complete, the Friends will plan and manage their operation of Insole Court with best environmental practice in mind. This will centre on stewardship of the environment. We have some innovative ideas such as encouraging all dog-walkers in the gardens to become voluntary wardens helping us to watch over this precious environment.
The productive garden project will be a specific opportunity to demonstrate how environmental good practice can be educational and fun as well as 'the right thing to do'. The project will continue to be organic and adhere to natural and seasonal ways of working, and will, we hope, supply wholesome produce to the community cafe.
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In order to make sure that we do really deliver on this important priority, we will commission or produce, during the delivery phase, a set of targets for environmental performance indicators such as energy consumption at low levels, percentage of waste recycled, etc and we will give specific responsibility to staff and to a named board member of the Trust for monitoring and managing these targets, our performance against which we will report in our annual report.
Page: 20 Version 11 Application Form for Heritage Grants Section Five - Project Development and Delivery 5a Who are the main people responsible for developing and delivering your project? The Insole Court Trust Board will be responsible for developing and delivering this project.
The Board are all members of the Friends of Insole Court and, as such, have been associated with the earlier HLF project, seeing it through to its successful outcome.
They have the required skills, competence and experience to effectively manage this project and the on-going sustainability of this heritage and community resource.
The Chairman, Capt Sir Norman Lloyd-Edwards has been a Patron of the Friends of Insole Court for many years.
CVs of Insole Court Board Members are in the supporting documents.
The Chairman of the Friends of Insole Court has joined the Board as an observer. County Councillor Nigel Howells has joined the Board as an observer to represent Cardiff Council.
For the County Council, the project is being led by Graham Craven, Head of Service - Community Facilities and overseen by Sarah McGill, Corporate Chief Officer – Communities.
The new Trust will appoint a full time Project Director to be responsible to the Project Board for overseeing all aspects of the delivery of the Insole Court project, its development and implementation in terms of both project development and activity programmes.
This post will be supported in the delivery phase by staff support in learning and training, community outreach and volunteer support/coordination subject to the detailed outcomes of the development of the activity plan in the development stage.
So far, as we said in section 3c, the Council has commissioned a professional team led by Purcell Miller Tritton to carry out the Conservation Management Plan and the Options Appraisal. While this application is being considered the Trust, with the support of the Council, will progress the appointment of a full design team including architect, structural engineer, services and environmental engineer, landscape architect, cost consultant & CDM Planning Supervisor for the main project.
These services will be competitively tendered through the OJEU process to ensure compliance with the procurement rules of the Council and each of the potential project funding agencies. The existing consultant team will be expected to re-tender for their services under this OJEU process.
In due course, the main contractor will also be selected through the OJEU process. From submitted pre-qualification questionnaires a short list of 5/6 contractors with appropriate skills and experience will be included on the tender list. Competitive tenders will be sought from the tender list contractors on the basis of a traditional form of contract with drawings, specifications and a measured bill of quantities.
5b Describe in detail the development work needed for your project. As shown in the programme attached as supporting document 7, the development stage will be a period of intense of activity for the Friends, the new Trust and for the Council. The development work required will be:
• Commence work of Project Director • Continue development of the new Trust Board and its expert groups • Specify and carry out any necessary further survey work • Design and supporting engineering and conservation works to RIBA Stage E • Submission of Planning and Listed Building Consent applications • Develop interpretation plan and specification • Finalising the cost of the project • Submitting and resolving the CAT Stage 2 application • Resolving all funding applications to other funders • Taking forward the Friends fundraising campaign
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• Finalising heads of terms for lease and operating agreement with Council • Development of full activity plan and activity action plan • Develop full plans for learning and training within activity plan • Continued consultation with public, partners and stakeholders • Market appraisal particularly for charged services • Financial appraisal and income and expenditure forecasts • Update and develop full business plan • Access audit of all plans • Develop communications strategy for project delivery • Continue to recruit and train volunteers
In order to carry out this intensive series of development work, we will expedite the search for the Project Director prior to the approval of the Round 1 application, on receipt of confirmation of the CAT Round 1 pass in July 2011. This means that we will have the Director identified and ready to start very swiftly after HLF approval. The Job Description for the role is set out in the Supporting Documents (SD 9)
In order to successfully deliver this development work in line with our programme, we will need to have the support of a professional team and the briefs and specifications for these roles are set out in the Supporting Documents (SD 8).
5c What are the risks to developing and delivering your project and how will you manage those risks?
Risk How How Consequence Action you will take to Who is likely is Serious help prevent the risk responsible the would for dealing event? the with the risk? effect be? Historic significance not well Low High Damage to the built Extensive consultation Project understood and works harm heritage research, investigation and Director, heritage assets. planning by expert team at Council under development stage and JPA retention of expertise throughout project Archaeological and other Medium Medium Delay to programme, History of House and site Project remains found during works cost increase, well researched, intrusive Director remains may be works in gardens limited. damaged Clear guidelines for contractors Amenity societies and other Low Medium Delay to programme, Already engaging Victorian Board and stakeholders perceive scheme redesign. Society and consulting Project problems with design. Compromised others as allies in project. Director, design. Maintain communication Design Team and plan together Failure to obtain planning Low High Delay to programme, Already close relationship Project and listed building consents scheme redesign. with conservation Director, Compromised department of Council who Design Team, design. commissioned CMP. Council Appoint expert team. Maintain close liaison with planners. Discovery of unknown Medium Medium Delay to programme, Building condition surveys Project structural, damp, rot or other cost increases, already exist and will be Director, problems building unsuitable refreshed in development Design Team, for planned end use stage. Clear guidance for Cost contractors opening up on consultant site. Contingencies allowed in programme and cost.
Page: 22 Version 11 Application Form for Heritage Grants Risk How How Consequence Action you will take to Who is likely is Serious help prevent the risk responsible the would for dealing event? the with the risk? effect be? HLF rejects Round 1 or Low High Major parts of the Regular consultation with Trust Board subsequent project will not be HLF case officer and applications/submissions realised monitors. prompt response to all queries and requests. Match funding for Low High Match funding not Applications made as early Trust Board Development or for full available – project as possible and resolution project Delivery stage not stops or has to be sought. Seek to have all confirmed reduced. funding and fundraising complete prior to Round 2 HLF submission Proposed future governance Low High Project cannot Governance plan prepared, Trust Board structure not brought proceed as registration documents forward in timely manner governance is not in exist in draft and are place. Funders lose approved. Registration of confidence new Trust achieved. Heads of terms with Council completed in. Further trustee recruitment put in hand in timely fashion. Shortage of time to Medium Medium Deadlines are Clear programme and work Project complete development of missed with plan, regular Director project consequence that communication with funding slips and funders. Overlapping work project stalls stages to meet different funder requirements at different deadlines carefully managed Cost overruns against Medium High Project has to be Capital works to be run by Council, estimates or tenders scaled back, deficits Council within their project Professional are incurred, delay. management disciplines. team, Project Early cost estimates Director understood and interrogated. Tenders let on full detailed design. Contract to reflect importance of cost certainty. Lack of community Low High Loss of community Continuing consultation, Trust Board engagement in planning and ownership, falling off full engagement of all FIC decision making about the of need and members and volunteers. project willingness to Development of contribute. Project partnerships and social fails to deliver key enterprise projects. objetctives
5d Provide a timetable for the development and delivery of your project. The timetable for the project is attached as a Gant Chart as a Supporting Document (SD7).
Page: 23 Version 11 Application Form for Heritage Grants Section Six - Project Costs 6a First Round Development Costs
Costheading Description Cost Vat Contingency Total Cost Managing the full time project director to support Trust £22,50 £22,500 project 0 Managing the Fundraising support £7,500 £7,500 project Professional fees Architecture and heritage design Stage D only (C £55,12 £55,125 complete prior to stage start) 5 Professional fees Engineering Design (structures and £27,56 £27,562 services/environmental) Stage D only 2 Professional fees Development consultant £30,00 £30,000 0 Professional fees Quantity Surveyor/CDM £15,31 £15,312 2 Staff costs Recruitment Other Planning and other statutory fees £2,500 £2,500 Other Surveys £25,00 £25,000 0 Other Volunteer recruitment, training and support £4,500 £4,500 Other Consultation, events and activities £10,00 £10,000 0 Non-cash contributions Volunteer time volunteer leadership of and support for development £27,10 £27,100 stage 0 Cost Totals £227,0 £227,099 99
6b First Round Development Volunteer Contributions
Description Days Cost Estimated value Board attendance, strategic planning and leadership, expert advice 60 £35 £21,000 0 Heritage research, guiding, activity support, events and consultation stewarding and 50 £50 £2,500 staffing Gardens assistance 72 £50 £3,600 Total Volunteer 182 £27,100
6c First Round Income
Income Description Secured Amount Cash Friends' fundraising Yes £1,500 Cash Community Asset Transfer - Big Lottery/WAG Yes £15,000 Cash Cardiff Council Yes £17,500 Non-cash contributions Volunteer time £27,100 HLF grant requested £165,900 Total Income £227,000
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6d Summary First Round Costs
Total development costs £227,099 Total development income £227,000 HLF development grant £165,900 requested HLF development grant 73 percentage
Second Round Delivery Costs
6e Further Development Costs
Costheading Description Cost Vat Contingency Total Cost Managing the project Professional fees Staff costs Recruitment Other Cost Totals
6f Capital Costs
Costheading Description Cost Vat Contingency Total Cost Purchase price of items or property Repair & conservation work As described in CMP and Options Appraisal £2,022,7 £202,277 £2,225,05 74 1 New building work Essential new build elements as per CMP £326,96 £32,696 £359,656 and Options Appraisal 0 Other physical work External, Garden structures and landscape £144,00 £14,400 £158,400 works 0 Equipment & materials Interpretation, Fit out, furniture and £205,00 £20,500 £225,500 equipment 0 Other Professional fees relating to Professional fees associated with above £287,52 £28,752 £316,272 the above 0 Cost Totals £2,986,2 £298,625 £3,284,87 54 9
6g Activity Costs
Costheading Description Cost Vat Contingency Total Cost Staff costs Learning, outreach, volunteer support £99,90 £9,990 £109,89 0 0 Training for staff Induction and training costs £10,00 £1,000 £11,000 0 Training for volunteers Induction, training building volunteer capacity £12,50 £1,250 £13,750 0 Travel for staff Travel costs primarily of outreach £2,500 £250 £2,750 Travel for volunteers travel allowance where required £4,500 £450 £4,950
Page: 25 Version 11 Application Form for Heritage Grants Costheading Description Cost Vat Contingency Total Cost Expenses for Petty cash expenses where required £1,800 £180 £1,980 volunteers Equipment & materials Costs of materials for activities £22,50 £2,250 £24,750 0 Production of printed Guides, leaflets, materials for activities programmes £15,00 £1,500 £16,500 materials and outreach 0 Other Professional fees Artists and workshop leaders where required to £22,50 £2,250 £24,750 relating to the above support/complement volunteers. Speakers at talks and 0 events. Cost Totals £191,2 £19,120 £210,32 00 0
6h Other Project Costs
Costheading Description Cost Vat Contingency Total Cost Managing the Continued employment of Project Director throughout project £121,5 £12,150 £133,65 project period 00 0 Recruitment Recruitment of activity support staff £6,750 £675 £7,425 Publicity and campaigns and publicity for relaunch, visitor attraction, £20,00 £2,000 £22,000 promotion activities, community use 0 Evaluation Costs of external evaluator to work with us through the £10,00 £1,000 £11,000 project period 0 Overheads Inflation Inflation across project period based on 5% on all costs £175,0 £175,00 including contingencies confirmation subject to final works 00 0 programme and start on site early 2012 Non-cash contributions Volunteer time volunteer leadership, delivery and support of the whole £175,0 £175,00 project throughout the project period 00 0 Cost Totals £508,2 £15,825 £524,07 50 5
6i Second Round Delivery Volunteer Contributions
Description Days Cost Estimated value Board and expert committee involvement, leadership, management and control of the 300 £35 £105,000 project. 0 Heritage research, guiding, activity support, event stewarding and staffing 600 £50 £30,000 Gardens assistance, voluntary wardens 600 £50 £30,000 Support for youth projects 200 £50 £10,000 Total Volunteer 1,70 £175,000 0
6j Second Round Income
Income Description Secured Amount Cash Community Asset Transfer funds - approved round 1 Yes £741,72 4 Cash Cardiff Council Yes £467,50 0
Page: 26 Version 11 Application Form for Heritage Grants Income Description Secured Amount Cash CADW, WAG Community facilities and activities, other grants and public No £300,00 sector 0 Cash Trusts and Foundations, other grants No £495,00 0 Cash Friends of Insole Court fundraising and contributions from partner No £10,000 organisations in Llandaff Non-cash contributions Volunteer time £175,00 0 HLF grant requested £1,830,0 00 Total Income £4,019,2 24
6k Summary Second Round Costs
Total delivery costs £4,019,274 Total delivery income £4,019,224 HLF delivery grant requested £1,830,000 HLF delivery grant 45 percentage
6l If the cash and contributions from other sources have not yet been confirmed, when do you expect them to be confirmed? Community Asset Transfer Fund Round 1 confirmed, Round 2, June 2012 Cardiff Council - confirmed CADW - later 2011 WAG Community Facilities and Activities Fund/other grants - later 2011 Trusts and Foundations - prior to HLF Round 2 submission Friends fundraising - prior to HLF Round 2 submission
6m How have you worked out the share of your organisation's overheads that relate to your project (if this applies)? not applicable
Page: 27 Version 11 Application Form for Heritage Grants Section Seven - After the Project Ends 7a How will you make sure your project is financially secure in the long term, including meeting maintenance costs? We have read the HLF guidance 'Financial Appraisal for Heritage Projects' and this provides a useful framework for our work. Although our main preparation of the our final business planning will be in the development stage, we do already have an outline business plan for the project which we have prepared so as to assure ourselves that the future sustainability of the project, in light of the arrangements we propose to come to with the Council, will be secure.
A diverse mix of uses is proposed for Insole Court based on the current uses and extended to include new uses such as the learning and training activities discussed in section 3 and as a heritage visitor asset. The combination of uses will generate sufficient income to cover the operational and maintenance costs of the Court and its site.
The project will generate income from: • Admission to the gardens and to heritage areas of the Court will remain free, but, as many other heritage sites do, we will ask visitors to contribute through payment for talks, tours, hands on heritage activity and by donations. Currently, these payments are paid only by schools, but the Friends have been testing the market with visiting groups and have met no resistance to the principle of charging in this way. • Sale of merchandise and interpretative materials and publications. The new operation will have a much more visitor focused welcome and reception function including a small shop area selling specific Insole Court materials of the sort we have already begin to produce, more general heritage materials relevant to the Cardiff and South Wales story and a limited range of gifts and souvenirs. • Hire of facilities for community use and activity. The Court currently generates £29,000 per annum in room hires from only four rooms. The new and renewed site will provide much more space and will support a significant increase in income without increasing significantly prices for community users. • We know the market is strong for these uses because of the over-subscription of current spaces and have based our plans on express demand and the known needs of regular users. • Hire of facilities for meetings, business use, small conferences and social events such as weddings. The renewed, high quality, equipped, space in the Court and Stable, supported by on-site catering will be popular. Even now the Court is regularly used by the public sector and businesses, and the new wedding ‘offer’ is booking up fast. We see a good deal of demand for this use in the future. • Café. Given the current visit numbers in excess of 65,000 to garden and Court, and our projections that this will grow considerably, we are confident that the café will generate significant income. The social enterprise that operates it will provide training and volunteer opportunities, including for young people seeking Baccalaureate placements, which will keep costs down and it will have exclusive or first-option catering rights on events and hires. • Leasing space to social enterprises helps meet our outcomes and generates regular income for the Trust. Wales Cooperative Centre already contributes significant rent and the extension of this leasing to new spaces will increase regular rental and service charge incomes. • We anticipate that we will raise funds from public sector partners to projects we initiate and from trusts and foundations for learning, training and access programmes and activities.
We have based the income projections set out in our emerging business plan for the project on current achievements, known markets and partners and the experience of similar projects.
If we are successful with our Round One application, we will carry out detailed market testing and research in the development stage to make sure our plan for the sustainability of the project is soundly based.
To further secure long term viability and to underpin the income generation activities of the new Trust it is under consideration that as part of its covenant as freeholder under the new lease Cardiff Council will remain responsible for the long term maintenance works to the external fabric of the Court and its services, leaving the be Trust responsible for the internal maintenance and decorations.
7b What are the main risks facing the project after it has been completed and how will you manage those risks?
Page: 28 Version 11 Application Form for Heritage Grants Risk How How Consequence Action you will take to help Who is likely is Serious prevent the risk responsible for the would dealing with event? the effect the risk? be? Inadequate Low High House and gardens Establish appropriate budgets Cardiff Council, maintenance deteriorate, visitor with design team in development Trust Project budgets for upkeep experience stage. Consider Council retaining Director of House and deteriorates responsibilty for major gardenss maintenance Unclear Low Medium House and Council and Trust to agree Council, Trust maintenance gardenss detailed schedule of Project Director responsibilities deteriorate, visitor responsibilities and dispute experience resolution mechanism deteriorates, disputes between parties Major plant or Low Medium May force Warranties agreed with suppliers. Project Director equipment failures temporary closure Council to maintain overall or emergency responsibility for plant repair costs maintenance. Crisis Recovery Plan to be agreed. Burglary, vandalism Medium Medium May force closure design team to design in safety, Project Director or damage to of part, incur repair working with community safety exhibits, house, costs, prejudice staff. Security and supervision gardens etc. visitor experience, responsibilities to be identified, financial loss including volunteer wardens and watch arrangements with neighbours. Gardens not kept up Medium Medium Poor visitor County and Trust to finalise Council and to same standard as experience. arrangements for garden upkeep, Project Director the house. Heritage context resources identified, maintenance not best set for plan in place house. Premises, staff and Low Medium Trust may overrun Business plan to be robust, Project Director supplies costs expenditure benchmarked, tested against escalate beyond budgets and incur design. those forecast deficits Café and other Medium Low Shortfalls in Marketing plan to be detailed and Project Director trading does not income, deficits reconciled to targets. achieve targets Rents, events and Medium High Shortfalls in Must be set as a key task for Project Director, Hires do not achieve income, deficits Trust team. Specialist marketing Trust Board targets through agents/events, partnerships with local business. Weddings and partnership with registry office in place Trustees are too few Low High Trust does not have Establish governance skills map. initial Trust or do not fill skills skills to exercise Early recruitment of trust in board map excellent phases through the expert governance committees. Build up Trust capacity across period to opening. Budgets allowed for trustee induction and training Council and trust do Low Medium Dispute and conflict Early establishment of trust and Council, first not agree terms weaken partnership full, diligent, negotiation of Trustees of and lead to loss of contract well ahead of trust taking Trust focus and on responsibilities. achievement
Page: 29 Version 11 Application Form for Heritage Grants Risk How How Consequence Action you will take to help Who is likely is Serious prevent the risk responsible for the would dealing with event? the effect the risk? be? Insufficient Low High Lack of capacity for Build on existing very substantial Board of Trust, volunteers and activity, opening, volunteer base through FIC Committee volunteer skills to development and consultation, engagement, and volunteer maintain primarily care for the project recruitment of new volunteers, coordinator, volunteer operated diversification of volunteers. Project Director project at greater Volunteer Plan in place in scale development stage. Provide for Volunteer support/coordination member of staff
7c How will you evaluate the success of the aims of your project (as set out in section three)? Round 1 application. Guidance states not to answer this question until Round 2.
Page: 30 Version 11 Application Form for Heritage Grants Additional Information Information about your organisation
This part of the form aims to collect the information we need to report on funding. We will not use this information to assess your application.
If your organisation will specifically benefit a particular group or groups of people, tell us which groups by ticking all relevant boxes below.
If your organisation represents a wide range of people and does not specifically represent any particular group, tick this box only.
Page: 31 Version 11 Application Form for Heritage Grants Declaration Freedom of Information
We have a duty to keep to the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 in Scotland. When you sign the declaration at the end of the application form, you are confirming that you have no objection to us releasing sections 2 to 4 of this form to anyone who asks to see them (this does not include any supporting documents). If there is any information in sections 2 to 4 of the form that you don't want made publicly available, please say this in the space provided and explain your reasons. We will take these into account when we respond to any request for access to those sections. Otherwise, we will release sections 2 to 4 to the public if asked. We may also be asked to release other information contained elsewhere in the form and we will respond to these requests after taking account of your rights and expectations under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, Data Protection Act 1998 and the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 in Scotland. In those cases, we will always consult you first.
Page: 32 Version 11 Application Form for Heritage Grants Terms of Grant
You must read the standard terms of grant that apply to all our grant awards in this grant programme. These can be read on our website. By signing the declaration below, you are confirming, on behalf of the organisation that you represent, that you accept these terms, unless we choose to draft a contract which is specific for your project.
If more than one organisation is applying to us for a grant, the same declaration must be signed by somebody on behalf of each organisation. By signing the declaration, each organisation accepts responsibility if the other fails to keep the terms of the grant.
Declaration
Please be aware that you are making this application at your own risk and we cannot be responsible to anybody for any loss, damage or costs arising directly or indirectly from this application. I have read, understand and accept the notes (including the standard terms of the grant) that came with this application form I understand and agree to you using and publishing the information in this application. I agree that you can check the information in it and any supporting documents with other people and organisations. The project, and my organisation's role in it, falls within my organisation's powers and purposes. My organisation has the power to accept a grant, under your terms, and the power to pay back the grant if the terms are not being met. I understand that any misleading statements (whether deliberate or accidental) I give at any point during the application process, or any information I knowingly withhold, could mean my organisation's application is not valid, in which case you will cancel the grant and claim back the money we have received, stop assessing and return the application, or withdraw any grant you offered my organisation. The project has not yet started and will not do so until my organisation receives permission from you. I accept that you may make the information contained in this form available to members of the public who ask to see it under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 in Scotland. I understand that you will treat this information in line with the Data Protection Act 1998, the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 in Scotland, and that, unless I have said otherwise, you will make sections 2 and 3 of this form available to the public if you are asked to (this does not include any supporting documents). I understand that you will take account of any objection we make to you releasing the information contained in sections 2 and 3 or elsewhere in the form. I accept that you have responsibilities under the Data Protection Act 1998, the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 in Scotland (which may mean you have a duty to make the information available even if I have objected to this) and I agree that you will not be held responsible for any loss or damage we may suffer as a result of you meeting those responsibilities in line with the law. I agree that any personal data supplied on this form (or otherwise) by my organisation will be used in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998, and the Data Protection statement in the Introduction and Help Notes. I am authorised to put forward this application on behalf of my organisation and to sign this declaration. On behalf of my organisation, I agree that if we receive any grant from you for our project, we will keep to the standard terms of grant and any further terms and conditions set out in the grant notification letter. The only exception to this will be if you decide to draft a contract specifically adapted for our project, in which case you will tell us about this in the grant notification letter. We (Heritage Lottery Fund) will take your signature (or signatures) on this form as confirmation that you: Have understood we have legal responsibilities under the Data Protection Act 1998, the Freedom of Information Act 2000 and the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 in Scotland. Accept that we will not be responsible for any loss or damage you suffer as a result of us meeting these legal responsibilities.
Page: 33 Version 11 Application Form for Heritage Grants The person signing this declaration must be different from the person named as the contact under question 1c and must have the authority to do so (for example, the chief executive, director, chairperson, vice chairperson, secretary or treasurer of your organisation).
If your project involves a partnership, the lead partner's authorised person should sign this on behalf of the partnership. If your project involves work to a building, piece of land or heritage item, the owner must also sign this Declaration if they are not the lead partner.
Signature: ......
Name (please print): ......
Job Title: ......
Name of Organisation: ......
Date: ......
Page: 34 Version 11 Application Form for Heritage Grants Supporting Documents Documents you must send with your application
If you will be sending documents to us as a hard copy, send them with your signed declaration and number them as numbered below.
Please tell us using the drop downs how you will send the supporting documents.
1. Copy of your organisation's constitution (formal rules), unless you are a public organisation. This must include: a) The name and aims of your organisation. b) A statement which prevents your organisation from distributing income or property to its members during its lifetime. c) A statement which confirms that if your organisation is wound up or dissolves, the organisation's assets will be distributed to another charitable or not-for-profit organisation and not to the organisation's members. d) The date when the constitution was adopted.e) The signature of your chairperson (or other suitable person).If you have sent a copy of your constitution with a previous grant application (not before April 2008) and no changes have been made to it, you do not need to send it again. Electronic
2. For joint applications - a copy of your partnership agreement signed by everyone involved which sets out how the project will be managed. Hard copy
3. A copy of your organisation's accounts for the last financial year Electronic
4. Copies of deeds, leases, mortgages or other proof of ownership if your project involves work to land, buildings or heritage items Electronic
5. A small selection of visual aids that you consider will help illustrate your project, for example, drawings and photographs Hard copy
6. A signed original copy of the declaration Hard copy
7. Detailed timetable for the development phase to the second round application Electronic
8. Briefs for development work Hard copy
9. Job descriptions for new posts to be filled during the development phase Electronic
Page: 35 Version 11 Application Form for Heritage Grants 10. For complicated capital works projects and for all capital works projects with a grant request in excess of £1 million, a conservation statement (see Conservation management planning) Hard copy
Page: 36 Appendix 3 Proposed Capital Funding Sources
Proposed Capital Funding Amount Sources for this project Contingency grant Cardiff Council Negotiated up to £380,000
Community Asset Transfer fund Potentially £800,000
Heritage Lottery Fund Round 1 £165,900 Round 2 £1,830,000
Other Trusts, foundations £495,000
CADW grants £300,000
Friends of Insole Court £10,000 fundraising