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December 2019
The Architectural Heritage Fund award development grant of £67,260
The Trust celebrated a grant award of £67,260 from the Architectural Heritage Fund from the Transforming Places through Heritage Scheme this December. This grant means the Trust have in place 88% of the funding required to bring a range of professional consultants in to support the project. This will increase the capacity of the Trust to deliver their full vision for the building, and bring in a range of professional skills to take forward items such as the architectural work, community consultation, fundraising and next phase of business planning work. It will help the Trust put in place the required pieces of work to progress to major funding bids.
November 2019
Le Page Architects and Real Ideas Organisation present initial options for reuse
In Spring of 2019 the Trust were able to commission Le Page Architects and Real Ideas Organisation to undertake an options planning and viability assessment process. The Picture House is a grade II* listed building and as such the Trust needed to understand what range of uses could potentially be hosted in the building to ensure that the business plan is viable, and that the significant heritage was protected and celebrated. This key report would provide a stepping stone into future grant applications and provide a strong foundation for community consultation to help to shape the initial vision. It is clear that there is a real need and demand for a community hub, with a strong cultural, performance, film and educational strand. The Trust can now build on this report through 2020, with the help of the community and funders, to really shape the project and set up a framework for delivery.
November 2019
Le Page Architects finalise technical investigation of Torbay Road elevation
Conservation Architects Le Page, working in conjunction with structural engineers Simon Bastone Associates, presented the Trust with their findings of detailed technical investigation of the Torbay Road elevation. Grants from Historic England and the Rosalind Hicks Charitable Trust enabled the Trust to commission this important piece of work. Scaffold across the full front of the building allowed the consultancy team to get up close to the building and assess the condition of the stonework and windows. The submitted report presented to the Trust contains their assessment and repair proposals based on a 30 square grid; each square then represented in detail on a page of the report. This amazing level of detail has informed a proposed repair schedule, and the works costed. Works for this phase are likely to be in the region of £250,000, based on repairs and professional fees. The next step for the Trust is to develop a funding strategy and make grant applications so these works can be brought on site.
