£10m project to revamp Great Yarmouth's Winter Gardens approved
Councillors have backed a bid to renovate the last surviving Victorian glass house in the UK
An effort to restore one of the most remarkable buildings in the country has passed an important hurdle.
Winter Gardens, the last surviving Victorian glass house in the UK, is set to be returned to its former glory after Great Yarmouth district councillors voted to approve the revamp bid that will cost at least £10m.
It follows the securing of funding for the project from the National Lottery Heritage Fund in 2021.
The scheme was one of five transformational projects across the country to be awarded a Heritage Horizon Award.
The historic structure has fallen into disrepair after it was shut in 2008 and is in need of significant renovation work to make it safe and structurally sound.
It is hoped the revamp will breathe new life into the building while also creating jobs and boosting the tourism industry.
Under the plans, the regeneration of the site will transform it into a mixed-use facility that includes a restaurant/cafe dining area, exhibition spaces and a public seating area for 140 people and dining places for up to 180 guests.
Councillors voted unanimously to approve the application at a development management committee meeting on Wednesday, although there were some concerns.
Noel Galer worried about the long-term sustainability of the building due to heating costs. He said: “I imagine this could be a problem and we need to see some figures for these costs.”
Faye Davies, one of the architects behind the project, believes modern heating methods, such as through heat pumps, and ensuring heat doesn’t escape will help tackle this issue.
She added that design details will continue to develop as the scheme progresses to ensure it is as sustainable a project as possible.
Councilor Bernard Williamson also highlighted that a key priority of the revamp is to keep the historical character of the building and that any work that changed the structure could mean the funding would be withdrawn.
As the project progresses, it is likely it will continue to be a balancing act between maintaining its unique Victorian design features along with efforts to make the site a sustainable building for future generations.
THE PEOPLE’S PALACE
Winter Gardens in Great Yarmouth’s Golden Mile was a haven for entertainment from when it opened in 1903 until it shut in 2008.
The building was first constructed in Torquay in 1878 but after failing as a business venture it was bought by Great Yarmouth Borough Council and was dismantled and transported across the country.
Over the years it has been a ballroom, a roller-skating rink, and an amusement arcade – electric light would fill its interior and beam out across the seafront and gleam on the water.
For a time it morphed into an Austrian-style beer garden, where ale-drinkers were served by waitresses in Tyrolean costume while an orchestra played.
As time went on it fell into disrepair and in 2008, while it was used as a soft play area, it was shut due to fears the building had become unsafe.
In 2017 it was named as one of the UK’s most endangered buildings that was costly to keep up, and even more expensive to tear down.
Two years later a council report revealed it was in danger of collapse. Now an eyesore, some £60,000 was spent on preparing the bid for lottery funding.