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Agenda-council-meeting-15-01-20Item 7 requests SPC’s agreement to provide a letter of support for their application for heritage and other grants to develop a visitor and educations attraction around the Shorncliffe Redoubt.
The phasing of the Shorncliffe Garrison redevelopment programme creates an ideal opportunity for the Shorncliffe Trust to create a Heritage and Education Centre to bring benefit to the District through increased tourism opportunities.
Their applications will include:
• Funding applications to refurbish and make secure a suitable retained building on the Shorncliffe Garrison. (in this instance, the Gymnasium would fit the purpose as a temporary base as it sits on the boundary of the development and would not hinder the ongoing developer building programme)
• Fundraising and community and student skills projects would take place to internally fit out the building from which to commence the operation of a Heritage and Education Centre.
• The internal layout of the building would contain several different elements to increase dwell time and spend opportunities including:
o Heritage collections and Shorncliffe artefacts on display
o Interpretive Visual Displays
o An Education and Resource area
o A small Café for refreshments
o A sales area for Shorncliffe items, Books, Memorabilia and Tours etc
The last 3 items above will generate income streams to further the educational objectives of the Trust and help support the eventual purchase and restoration of one of the retained buildings which will remain in the longer term at Shorncliffe.
The Centre will also include provision of welfare facilities for visitors and Heritage Tour participants (including visitors to the Military Cemetery and those visiting annually for Canada Day commemorations).
The Trust would like us to send a letter of support to assist them in their bids for funding to various bodies as below:
“Sandgate Parish Council are proud of the heritage in our Parish, including a number of Martello Towers, the Battery Point wall and especially the scheduled monument which is the Shorncliffe Redoubt, a clear contender for the title of the birthplace of the modern British Army.
“The Redoubt sits alongside a number of other notable heritage assets, including a CWGC maintained military cemetery and still visible WW1 training trenches.
“Sandgate Parish Council regard the retention, promotion and use of these historically very significant assets as crucial. We strongly support seeing them becoming part of a visitor and educational resource / attraction to help us develop and sustain our visitor economy. We are therefore pleased to provide this letter of support to the aspirations of The Shorncliffe Trust in their endeavours to create a Heritage and Education Centre at Shorncliffe.
“We are confident that their plans to create such a Centre will provide a base for visitors to find out more about the rich military heritage our district enjoys; and for many to enjoy heritage interpretation tours of the former military training land, rich in heritage assets.”