Almost £1million of Coastal Revival Funding has been awarded to 25 projects to restore coastal landmarks and bring economic growth to communities up and down the Great British Coast, including here on the Isle of Wight.
The fund, now in its third year, provides grants to coastal heritage sites to fund repairs and restoration. It also supports large scale projects which are important to local communities but have not yet reached their full economic potential or are facing neglect.
Some £50,000 has been awarded to ‘The Dining Car’ in Ryde. This money will be used to restore a rail heritage building at Ryde Pier, which is currently disused. The building will be converted into a station café with an accessible training kitchen, information and assistance point.
A further £50,000 has been awarded to ‘The Battery Recharged’ in Sandown. This money will be used for repairing and reusing the 19th century fort at Battery Gardens to house a tourism and education facility – namely The National Poo Museum.
In Cowes, £50,000 has also been awarded to the restoration of Northwood House. This will allow repairs to be carried out to the roof of the main rotunda entrance, then restoring and renovating the interior of this unique part of the building.
Jake Berry MP, Coastal Communities Minister, has said:
“It’s fantastic to be able to kick start the restoration of 25 important sites up and down our Great British coastline.
“From Whitehaven to Weymouth, we’re saving some of the nation’s most cherished coastal heritage assets and landmarks from falling into disrepair. The Coastal Revival Fund also helps regenerate our coastal communities and support them to grow by bringing these sites back to life and making them the focal points of their communities once more.
Article continues below this advertisement “It’s all part of our plan to invest nearly a quarter of a billion pounds in our seaside areas by 2020, providing thousands of jobs, training places and opportunities up and down the Great British Coast.”
Deborah Lamb, Deputy Chief Executive of Historic England, said:
“We welcome news of funding to help save at-risk historic buildings and places in our seaside towns and villages, so that they can be brought back into use for the benefit of local communities.
“Restoring local gems can attract investment and help to tackle the deprivation that is a problem in a number of our coastal areas. There are great examples of restoration projects in our seaside towns, often bringing together the private, public, voluntary and social enterprise sectors. This funding will inspire more.”
