Decision details
Change to proposal of Town Deal project at Birkenhead Priory
Decision Maker: Director of Regeneration and Place
Decision status: Recommendations Approved
Is Key decision?: No
Is subject to call in?: No
Decision:
The Director of Regeneration and Place has
approved the reallocation of £127,000 of grant funding from
the Town Deal Grant for Birkenhead Priory (“the
Project”) for the refurbishment of the Undercroft at
Birkenhead Priory to serve as a visitor centre instead of
allocating this amount for the construction of a new Pavilion
Visitor Centre at Birkenhead Priory.
Reasons for the decision:
Following development of the Project,
including a more detailed understanding of utility supplies and
amendments to the proposed interactive display, it is proposed that
the £127,000 previously allocated to the provision of a new
build visitor facility at Birkenhead Priory will be spent on the
refurbishment of an existing space in the Undercroft at Birkenhead
Priory that is currently underused. The space identified lends
itself well to a refurbished visitor facility and the outputs of
the Project remain the same. The space will be brought up to modern
standards which will appeal to a greater range of visitors and
organisers. The key pillars of this work would be reinterpretation
and new facilities in the Undercroft and improving accessibility to
the Refectory to facilitate a wider variety of events.
It is proposed to revise the Project to locate the Visitor Centre
not in a newly constructed Pavilion at Birkenhead Priory, but
instead to make use of the historic Undercroft; built in the 14th
century, its stunning vaulted roof and the original flooring are
still intact. This currently houses a museum and small shop space,
however this was created over 30 years ago and the content has
barely changed during that time. Visitors are unable to closely
view and appreciate the historic nature of the space due to the
hazard presented by gaps in the current wooden walkway.
Above the Undercroft is the Refectory, a large indoor space. This
is ideal for hosting events and groups in all weathers, and a hub
for community engagement activities at Birkenhead Priory. However,
it is recognised that its appeal as a venue and access is currently
limited, due to only being accessible via stairs.
The total funding allocated to the Project is £353,480. Of
this £127,000 is allocated for the development and
construction of a visitor centre. The other aspects of the Project
with a total budget of £226,480 will be proceeding as
described in the initial Business Case.
The creation of a fit-for-purpose Visitor Centre in this space will
involve:
•Redesigning the Undercroft display, to include: new cases to
improve visibility of objects, create new interpretation to be
clearer and more accessible to visitors. Reconfiguration of display
layout to improve visitor access.
•Installation of new transparent flooring to properly display
and improve access to historic ancient flooring, which will make
the space more accessible to a wider cohort of visitors.
•Installation of a platform lift to increase engagement
opportunities with events and exhibitions within the
Refectory.
Alternative options considered:
Do Nothing: Proceed with current plan for the
construction of a new Visitor Centre construction as a Pavilion.
This option has been disregarded because:
•Further investigation of the utility provision on the
scheduled ancient monument site revealed complications in providing
such a structure with electricity and water.
•The interactive visitor content originally anticipated to
occupy this space is not being completed as planned.
Not to provide a Visitor Centre: Proceed with the rest of the
Project without the Visitor Centre element. This was discounted as
it would also mean that we would not meet the objective stated in
the Business Case “to enhance the visitor experience and
increase visitor capacity and accessibility”.
Publication date: 30/01/2024
Date of decision: 30/01/2024