‘Embarrassed’ town council agree plan for park café

JUST weeks before the new season begins in King George V playing field, the town council has agreed to find a temporary solution for a new café in the park’s pavilion. 

Councillors have also agreed to instruct consultants  – with a budget of up to £5,000 – to carry out a public consultation about the future use of the building, with an eye on the council making a final decision by the autumn and a ‘proper solution’ in place by summer 2023. 

Meanwhile, the council plans to repair the building’s hot water supply to allow for a temporary café to operate for the 2022 spring/summer season. 

However, town councillors have admitted to being ‘embarrassed’ about still having no clear long-term plan for the pavilion, despite discussing its future for years.

Councillors discussed the use of the pavilion at a meeting last week, nearly seven months on after they had been told that the Best Ever Brownie Company – who stepped in at short notice to temporarily run the Cricketers Café in the Pavilion for the spring/summer season last year – would not be returning in 2022. 

“I must confess to being disappointed to see that here we are in March talking about something for the summer,” said cllr Graham Ellis. 

Mayor, cllr Jon Hubbard, added that he was embarrassed to be discussing options for the pavilion café weeks away from the start of the spring/summer season – but added that this is a project that is no further forward than it was years ago. 

“This council has talked, and talked, and talked, and talked about what it should do with this café, and it has done nothing,” said cllr Hubbard. “And here we are again, two weeks away from the season starting and have nothing in place. 

“I cannot comprehend how we are at this point now, when we knew in September that we were going to have to sort something out.” 

Cllr Simon Crundell echoed cllr Hubbard’s comments, telling him that he shares in his ‘frustration and anger’ and that he was sure that the majority of councillors also feel ‘embarrassed’. 

At the meeting councillors were presented with a report, prepared by the council’s business review working group – that had been discussed in meetings not open to the public – detailing a number of short-term and long-term options for the pavilion building. 

Proposals included; the town council or a third party operating the café; closing the café for the 2022 season to allow time for a ‘considered strategy’ to be formulated for its future; and closing the café permanently and considering other uses for the building. 

“The challenge we have with this facility is that to get it up to a bare minimum standard, it is going to cost in the region of £25,000,” explained cllr Phil Alford. “But even when we spend that, we still don’t know what is going to come afterwards. 

“Going into it and spending lots of money, with no idea what we are getting ourselves into, doesn’t seem a particularly sensible or sustainable way forward.” 

It was cllr Alford who proposed that the council find a temporary café solution for the 2022 season, whilst exploring long-term ‘financially viable’ options for the building. 

However, cllr Hubbard urged that the council agree a timeframe, fearing that the future of the pavilion would end up once again in the council’s ‘pontification tray’. 

“We need to do something!” said cllr Hubbard, warning the council that without a timeframe, they will find themselves in the same situation in 12 months’ time. 

“What we have got is a building that hasn’t seen really good maintenance in a long time,” he added. “You’re never going to see anything successful there, unless you invest in it – whether we run the joint, or someone else, you must invest in it.” 

It was agreed at the meeting that the town council’s consultants should return with their findings from the public consultation at a special meeting of the town council in June, which will be open to the public.