Have Your Say on Future of Gunnersbury Park
Regeneration Board seeks views of local residents through consultation
A consultation about the future of Gunnersbury Park has been launched by Ealing and Hounslow Councils as they consider how best to prevent the historic site’s imminent decline.
Several of the park’s buildings have been designated by English Heritage as 'at risk' because of their poor condition and Gunnersbury is listed as one of the top 12 'at risk' properties in England. To look at how they could safeguard the park, the councils have asked consultants to examine ways of protecting the park’s heritage while making sure it remains open to the public.
A team, led by Jura Consultants, drew up a report that developed options for the future of Gunnersbury Park. This can be viewed at www.hounslow.gov.uk/gunnersbury. The proposals are also on display in the Gunnersbury Park Museum.
The consultants have considered a number of alternative options for Gunnersbury Park.
1. A minimum intervention option that would see no changes in the use of the buildings in the park or significant improvements in the park environment. This option would not meet the vision for the park set out in the Conservation Management Plan and would see the continued deterioration of Gunnersbury over future years with ad hoc intervention to repair the key buildings to prevent their total loss.
2. An option for private use of the Small Mansion House and the Stable Blocks. This would not allow public access to these buildings and would exclude the public from the park immediately surrounding these buildings. The funding for these private uses would be difficult to secure because no public funding would be available from English Heritage or the Heritage Lottery Fund.
3. A more ambitious plan to transform Gunnersbury Park into a major destination for a wider catchment area. This would have involved a greater investment in Gunnersbury Park than required for the consultants’ preferred option and is not thought to be achievable at present.
4. The forth option enables public use of the main buildings. Under this option the Stable Blocks would become an accessible museum store, the Small Mansion House would accommodate the museum and the Large Mansion House would provide a functions venue, meetings space and a restaurant. The latter would generate additional income for the park to support its ongoing maintenance. This is the consultants’ preferred option.
To take the survey please see online questionnaire here.
August 12, 2009
