Park café restoration likely to take 'many years'

The renovation of the Rose Garden Café in Graves Park, Sheffield, has not secured a funder for the entire project

The renovation of a popular park café could take "many years," with the project being split into four phases in order to maximise the chances of winning funding for the £2.6m scheme.

The cafe closed suddenly in 2022 due to fears of structural problems but reopened inside in August 2024.

The Rose Garden Café Partnership, made up of representatives of the Save the Rose Garden Café campaign, the Friends of Graves Park and the council, has been working on plans to restore the building.

A report to Sheffield City Council's charity trustee sub-committee said the partnership had been unable to find a single funder for the entire project.

A report to the committee said the partnership were considering a phased approach, despite numerous downsides, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

"The partnership has also discussed and noted the impacts of a phased approach rather than doing the works in one go, which include extending the project timeline – potentially spanning many years," the report states.

It would also mean greater disruption to the café's current operator, incurring higher costs due to inflation and contractor preliminaries, and requiring ongoing contributions from all the partnership's members.

However, the report said the partnership believed it was "necessary" because they were "unable to identify a single funder capable of financing the entire project".

The first phase would involve work on the front wall and adjoining terrace, the pitched roof and the clock tower, at a projected cost of £650,000.

Next would be work on doors and windows, costing £100,000, followed by extensions and internal refurbishment at a cost of £1.3m.

The partnership has met its initial funding target of £25,000 and has now set a new target of £37,500.

The report will be discussed by the committee on 8 September.

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