Disappointment at hall funding thumbs down
Westmorland and Furness CouncilPlans for an "ambitious" arts and culture centre will have to be rethought, after a funding bid was turned down.
Westmorland and Furness Council had applied for £3.5m to expand Ulverston's Coronation Hall - locally know as the Coro - into a home for arts, culture and library and community services.
However, the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) cited heavy competition, with bids "far exceeding the total available".
The council said it was disappointing news, but that it would be engaging with the community and considering next steps in the development process.
Part of the plans had been to relocate the town's library, setting aside £2.5m and applying for the lottery funding to allow a "more ambitious project".
In its feedback on the funding bid, the NLHF praised it as a "a well-developed low risk project" based on some excellent community consultation.
"Unfortunately, it came down to the perceived heritage importance/value of the building compared to other heritage assets it was competing against, although the committee recognised the value of the associated intangible heritage," it said.
Councillor Helen Chaffey, cabinet member for communities, said: "We had hoped a successful bid would have allowed us to press ahead with a more ambitious development.
"However, the outcome should not detract from the excellent work that went into preparing the bid.
"This doesn't affect our commitment to The Coro and we will be mindful of the feedback we've already had from the community as we work on the next stage of drawing up the business case for development plans."
