LINCOLN CATHEDRAL CONNECTED

Transcription

1 LINCOLN CATHEDRAL CONNECTED 1. INTRODUCTION Lincoln Cathedral Connected is a 16million project which will transform the cathedral s visitor and community offer. A bid for 12.4million (including an 800,000 Development Grant) was submitted to the Heritage Lottery Fund in November 2014, with a round one pass secured in May Lincoln's Cathedral and Castle were established by William the Conqueror in a brutish demonstration of control. Sitting together on the skyline, they are England's finest surviving architectural example of Norman power and dominance. The ordinary people who built it rendered in stone, wood, lead and glass this glorious church, whose symbolism and stories were understood by its medieval audience. Today we honour its beauty but have forgotten how to read this Gothic vision. As one of the finest cathedrals in Europe with the lowest visitor figures, we must reconnect those who worship and visit with the secrets and stories of the building. New Interpretation and exhibitions, improved visitor facilities, landscaping and conservation of the West Front will achieve this. Lincoln Cathedral Connected will connect our past with our future, reanimating the Cathedral's stories, engaging diverse audiences and bettering lives in the process. 2. AIMS OF THE PROJECT People Education, Skills and Training To provide a new programme of activities which will: More than double the number of visits from school children Target audiences who feel the Cathedral is not for me Take the Cathedral into communities Provide new staff posts, internships and volunteering opportunities related to conservation and archaeology. Communities Enhanced Quality of Life Improve the Cathedral exterior and landscape by: Opening up the Dean s Green, which has not been accessible to the public for over fifty years. This will provide a new public landscape and reveal the beautiful architecture to the north of the building Providing spaces where schools and community groups can learn and relax Upgrading the external lighting of the building, improving the Cathedral s appearance on the skyline. Lincoln Cathedral Connected Page 1 of 6

2 Heritage Revealing Lincoln s Story The project will improve interpretation of the Cathedral's and Lincoln s stories and forgotten symbolism through: Guided tours (by our volunteers, printed, digital and audio) and interpretation hubs around the Cathedral these will be updated to reflect different stories. Displays within a new Interpretation Centre of collections that are currently not on display Webcams and video explaining the ongoing conservation works. Explorer backpacks, dressing up boxes and digital interactives for children and families Off-site interpretation will involve creating a cascade of visitor trails and travelling exhibitions emanating from the Cathedral, encompassing other heritage attractions and churches in telling the story of Lincolnshire. Working with a range of partners, these resources will allow visitors to join the dots and explore the amazing heritage of Lincolnshire. And in partnership with Lincoln Castle, consolidate Lincoln as one of the finest existing Norman power centres in England by: Working with Lincolnshire County Council and Visit Lincoln Creating joint marketing and educational resources Vastly improve the main visitor entrance to the west through: Improved signage and presentation of Exchequergate Conservation of the West Front, including the internationally significant Gallery of Kings and Romanesque Frieze, which will then remain scaffolding free for at least a century Creating an improved landscaping and restricted traffic zone Levelling the ground to its pre-19th century level, which will allow the removal of the current ramps which blight the entrance. Restore and reconfigure the Old Deanery (30 Eastgate) to provide new visitor facilities including: A dedicated learning room, with own entrance and toilets A dedicated room for use by community groups A new café which will triple the number of covers, and provide outdoor seating. A new gift shop with its own frontage Additional toilets and other visitor facilities, including a Changing Places facility. Lincoln Cathedral Connected Page 2 of 6

3 Above: The cathedral as it is today. Below: The works proposed as part of Lincoln Cathedral Connected. Lincoln Cathedral Connected Page 3 of 6

4 3. TIMETABLE Date Task HLF Stage RIBA Design Stage Jun 2015 Receive Permission to Start from Development Stage 2 Heritage Lottery Fund; release of Development Grant Jan 2016 End of RIBA Stage 2: Chapter and Development Stage 2 HLF Sign off Capital Designs, Activity Plan and Business Plan May 2016 Completion of groundwork Development Stage 3 surveys, consultation work; refine capital designs, Activity Plan and Business Plan. Ensure Interpretation and Conservation Plans feed into other designs. Aug 2016 End of RIBA Stage 3: Chapter Sign Development Stage 3 off Capital Designs, Activity Plan and Business Plan and all other plans Sept 2016 QS, Programme Manager and Development Stage 3 Capital Works Manager revise costings, Project Management Plan, Management and Maintenance Plan, Risk Register and Project Timetable. Produce Stage 2 Bid for HLF. Dec 2016 Submit Stage 2 Bid to HLF Development Stage 3 Mar 2017 HLF Trustee meeting May 2017 Receive permission to start for Delivery Stage 4 Delivery Stage from HLF Spring/Summer 2017 Groundworks commence; Delivery Stage 4 conservation work (Eastgate Wall, Cloister Wall) can start Late 2018 Visitor Centre Build starts; Delivery Stage 5 Landscaping starts (in stages), followed by conservation of West Front and Exchequergate Mid 2012 Visitor Centre and landscaping Delivery Stage 6/7 complete; new facilities open Romanesque Frieze complete Delivery Stage 6/7 4. BUDGET The budget for the Development Stage is 1,182,671. The majority of this covers professional fees for the Design Team (architects and engineers) and the initial groundwork and ecological surveys. The tables below show the financial position of the project as of 11 January Table 2: Expenditure against Budget to 11 January 2016 Budget Expenditure to date Category Description VAT Total VAT Total Equipment and Materials 3, , New Staff Costs 120, ,263 32, ,110 Other 1, , Lincoln Cathedral Connected Page 4 of 6

5 Budget Expenditure to date Paid Training Placements 12, , Professional Fees 138,000 27, ,600 13,971 2,130 16,101 Staff Travel Volunteer Time 8, , Volunteer Training 10,000 2,000 12, Capital: Cathedral Other 50,000 10,000 60,000 6, ,408 Capital: Landscaping & Lighting Professional Fees 59,640 11,928 71,568 16,683 3,337 20,020 Capital: Visitor Facilities Professional Fees 53,000 10,600 63,600 18,270 3,654 21,924 Publicity and Promotion 1, , Full Cost Recovery 38, ,450 22,552 2,420 24,971 Contingency 50, , Recruitment 3, , Overhead 17, ,004 6, ,624 Interpretation & Exhibition Professional Fees 76,000 15,200 91,200 31,830 6,366 38,196 Surveys Professional Fees 383,541 76, ,249 85,319 17, ,383 TOTAL 1,026, ,869 1,182, ,970 35, , CHALLENGES Fundraising 3million in match funding must be secured (at least pledged) by the time of the round 2 bid submission in December The Project Team is working with Lord Cormack and Ann Wallis (Director, Culture Partners) on the strategy to raise these funds. Permissions and Consents All consents for the capital works must be obtained by March 2017 from the statutory bodies, along with agreement to the proposals from advisory bodies. Initial consultation has taken place with CFCE, the Cathedral s Fabric Advisory Committee, Historic England, the Local Planning Authority and the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. Their feedback is currently being collated ready for the Design Team to respond. There are no major objections to the scheme, though further work is necessary on certain aspects of it. Budget A revised budget for the Delivery Stage is currently being produced by the Quantity Surveyor; HLF has made it clear that the budget should be within the limits laid out in the first round bid. This may be a problem if the surveys uncover an unexpected problem, although the project does have a large contingency and some flexibility from VAT savings. Changes to the Highway One aim of the project is to restrict traffic around the Close (closing it to non-residential traffic) and to remove car parking spaces along the south side of the Cathedral. This is the most controversial part of the scheme and will require careful consultation with residents, worshippers and the wider community. The Landscape Architect has, in liaison with the County Council s Highway Team, Lincoln Cathedral Connected Page 5 of 6

6 produced a paper that details the options for restricting traffic flow. This will be submitted to February s Chapter Meeting. Lincoln Cathedral Connected Page 6 of 6