Issue details

This decision was taken to accept Arts Council England Museum Estate and Development (MEND) funding to deliver essential conservation and repair works at Oakwell Hall, a scheduled historic building of significant local and regional importance. The funding enables urgent works to be undertaken which address critical deterioration of the building fabric, helping to safeguard the long?term integrity of the asset and protect continued public access to the site.

Accepting the MEND funding secures substantial external investment specifically intended for heritage and museum buildings, significantly reducing the financial burden on the Council and ensuring that required works can proceed in a timely, planned and cost?effective manner.

Alternative options considered and rejected-

Officers considered declining the funding and delivering the works through phased capital or revenue budgets. This option was rejected as it would place additional and immediate pressure on Council resources, likely delay essential repairs and increase long?term costs as a result of continued deterioration.

The option of not proceeding with the works at this time was also discounted, as this would present an unacceptable risk to the condition of the historic asset, service continuity and the public benefit provided by Oakwell Hall.