£18m Winter Gardens project 'needs more funds'

Plans to restore the UK's last surviving seafront Victorian glasshouse will need additional funds, a council has said.

The Winter Gardens in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, which closed in 2008, has been on Historic England's heritage at risk register because of its deteriorating condition.

Its restoration has already secured more than £18m in funding, but the Grade II-listed cast iron structure needs more work than was anticipated, creating additional costs.

Leader of Great Yarmouth Borough Council, Conservative Carl Smith, said: "This building is already costing the council money, but what we want to see is it restored to its former glory so everyone can enjoy it."

Surveys have found the structure needs to be restored to the original work and century-old sewage pipes replaced.

The seaside town is currently vying to be crowned the UK's first Town of Culture, due to be announced in 2028.

Work on the site began last autumn, including surveying, testing and investigations to assess the condition and fabric of the building.

The council is now considering a range of funding options for the rest of the work to be carried out.

Smith said: "If we can get all ducks in a row, get all the funding in place, hopefully we can open this at the end of 2028."

Asked by the BBC, Smith was unable to put a price on the additional funds required.

Alongside funding options, the council is also considering the impacts of "increasingly rapid climate change" and how the building can operate sustainably, with complex temperature controls and water management a significant factor.

The restoration has so far been funded with £11.85m from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, £6m from the Government's Towns Fund and a £500,000 grant from Historic England.

Smith said: "It's been shut for virtually 20 years... we just can't restore it and leave it empty; there has to be an end use.

"That's why our plans are to restore it and bring it back for future generations to enjoy the Winter Gardens, like previous generations have done in years gone by.

"This plays a vital role in our culture, like everything does on the seafront. We have a massive tourism industry here – you just imagine how many visitors this could attract."

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