We’re told that a figure of £100,000 is all that is needed for the much needed repairs to the roof of the Winter Gardens. This ‘drop in the ocean’ for the Isle of Wight Council would ensure the building is watertight and protect the interior from further damage.
However, at the Winter Gardens Management Committee on Monday, the meeting heard that Barry Cooke, Head of Property Services at Isle of Wight Council, had stated that there was no money available for the serious repairs needed to Ventnor Winter Gardens.
Cllr David George told the meeting that the roof of the building is in a pretty dire condition and needs £100,000 spent on it to ensure that it stays watertight.
As Cllr George said, “If this situation continues then the building will gradually deteriorate further and ultimately become unrepairable. The inevitable result would be closure.”
The Isle of Wight Council, by their own figures, say that the building would require over £600,000 spent on it to bring it back in full working order.
Questions raised in the audience were, “why has the Isle of Wight Council let the building that they’re supposed to be looking after get in to such a bad state of repair?”
Light at the end of the tunnel?
Could a sighting of Barry Cooke, Head of Property Services on the roof of the Winter Gardens a few days ago signal that perhaps the IWC are having second thoughts as regards budgets?
We know from previous meetings that the Ventnor Town Council have money earmarked for interior renovations, but understandably, see these as pointless taking place unless the building is made watertight.
Many in the town hope that perhaps Property Services have reconsidered their position and are now looking at making the building watertight before the winter.
