Restoration of a Ryde landmark is drawing closer with a planning application imminent, but the biggest obstacle facing the project to save Appley Tower is the repair costs.
Ryde Town Council and Natural Enterprise want to bring Appley Tower back into community use but if repair costs spiral further it may hinder the scheme.
An update on the tower, its plans and the future steps needed, was given to Ryde Town Council by Graham Biss, chief executive of Natural Enterprise, on Monday.
A planning application will be submitted shortly, Mr Biss said, to gain permission for the tower’s restoration as well as building 4 beach huts nearby as a form of income generation.
A feasibility study performed in 2019 estimated repairs would be in the excess of £220,000 although to get the tower in a good enough state to open it to the public, would cost £330,000.
It is hoped a successful bid to the National Lottery will provide £225,000 for the costs of repairs. Additionally, money has been provided from the Isle of Wight Council and Ryde Town Council, each putting forward £40,000, with the remaining bill to complete the project picked up by Natural Enterprise.
Concerns were raised, however, that the cost of repairs may have risen, and Mr Biss told councillors he was ‘slightly fearful’ it would be much more expensive to fix, which may take the costs above what could ‘reasonably be funded’. A recosting exercise is currently underway to determine what the new cost could be.
As part of the operational model Natural Enterprise proposes for the tower, maintenance would be carried out each year so the tower does not fall back into a bad condition.
It would get the funds for maintenance from the rent it receives from the tenant proposed to run the day-to-day aspects of the tower, Monkton Arts, and to ensure the tower remains open for the next 10 years.
The funding bid is yet to be submitted but Mr Biss said they have a strong case. He added that a letter of support from Ryde Town Council would be helpful.
Mayor of Ryde, Councillor Michael Lilley, said the people of Ryde have a particular affinity with the tower, as a popular spot for proposals, so if it was necessary a crowdfunding campaign could be another option.
If I’d put those estimates in, I’d have been told to go away and come back with something sensible
Did Island Echo get permission to use the picture of “Appley tower in the snow” …… No Island Echo didn’t That is my picture PLEASE REMOVE !!!!!!!
Hi Antony. It’s actually one of our own photos taken many years ago now…
How mean. Surely you should be proud it is used IF it was you who had the effort of clicking a button to take a snap shot.
Is it falling down? Looks to me it’ll out live most of us. Maybe sell it and let the owners pay for it.
Would make a fantastic cafe. Beautiful building.
Or a KFC joint.
Well it doesn’t take a professor to work out who will be copping the bill for these works…US MUGS as always. And who will benefit from it once it safe for public use? The visitors. How many local people will bother wanting to go to see it? Not very many is my guess.
Actually a lot of islanders who have grown up admiring this quirky tower but have never seen inside would be willing to take a look, so I for one will be queuing up! In addition be proud to show off your island heritage, good grief.
It is not very big inside, used to be an ice cream place, but lack of toilet. running water….so be difficult to open to public..
Surely as long as it’s preserved,should be reason enough?.It’s a magnificent structure well worth protection whoever ‘does something with it’.I personally wouldn’t have a prob if Osbourne was turned into something useful like a hospital for instance and give up St Marys for…housing maybe (Damn ugly place).I don’t roll with preserving extravagant palaces that you pay to visit,if inclined, simply to bask in the hideous opulence of plundered artifacts,connected to dodgy monarchs et al but the Appley Tower is a tonic to the eye imho and worthy of restoration.
Good old National Lottery saving the day again.
When one looks at all the old churches and other beautiful old buildings around the town, which are increasingly being subsumed for ‘community use’, the future cost of maintenance and upkeep is quite scary.
Sounds like the normal on going maintance has not been carried out allowing the Tower to fall into disrepair.Hence tbe £300000 repair bill
However would like to see a breakdown of costs to see quite how this figure was arrived at?
How about asking Island Roads to make a generous donation out of the millions they will make from our dear Isle of Wight Council ? Just a thought.
Next up, Vectis Hall and Ryde Town Hall, what on earth are they going to cost to bring into use?
Four years ago this was being discussed. The cost of renovations was £100,000. After four years of doing nothing except committee meeting after meeting nothing still hasn’t been done and the cost has more than tripled, Way to go people.
I suggested four years ago that it be listed as a heritage building ( it qualifies being over 100 yrs old) and then apply to the Heritage fund for renovation costs. Obviously the powers that be just wanted to justify their existence by have more meetings and instead allowing over 300% rise in renovation costs.
About 20 to 30 years ago there was an advert on TV with Appley tower in it, It was a health and safety advert where a guy rode along the beach on a horse with a ladder but it was to short to get to the top of the tower so a woman let her long hair down so he could climb the rest of the way. I only seen it the once, has anyone else seen it or got the video to it ?
Why do we always only get half a story? How about telling us what repairs are so necessary that they will cost £300,000? You could, literally, build a whole house for that sort of money and that would include all the fixtures and fittings – gas, electricity, toilets, bathroom etc.
Appley Tower, in comparison, is a very small building and there can’t honestly be much inside it apart from perhaps a staircase and the exterior hardly looks in danger of falling down. So, what part of the ‘repair’ is going to cost £300,000?