Update!
Rose Garden Cafe Latest:
Graves Park Rose Garden Café Restoration: Public Consultation
The deadline for the Partnership’s consultation on the restoration of the café is 19th April and is fast approaching.
If you haven’t yet done so, please fill out the form to help shape the future restoration and refurbishment of the café.
Please share widely! Click here to follow the link:
The more responses we get, the clearer the message will be that we want our café restored and fully open!
Thanks for taking the time to help us!
Agreed Communications:
26th April 2024
“A huge thank you to everybody that participated in the public consultation. We received 1557 responses to date packed with great ideas; these will be invaluable in our funding bids. Results will be shared soon and will inform the restoration and refurbishment.
“The structural engineer is making good progress. They have identified some additional investigations needed which will put back our original timeline for the report. When we have a new timeline we will share this with you.
“We discussed avenues of funding and to support this we are promoting our Just Giving Café fundraising page. There will be posters in the Café, around the park and local area.”
https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/RoseGardenCafeGravesPark?invite=true
12th April 2o24
“We discussed the progress on the consultation survey which is currently happening and which closes on 19th April. We are holding a further event in Graves Park on Saturday 13th April from 09.00am-2.00pm and we urge people who haven’t yet completed it, to do so before the deadline. We are expecting the results of the structural engineer’s report into the problems with the wall in Mid-May.”
2nd February 2024
On 2nd February 2024, the partnership moved forward and agreed on the appointment of an appropriate engineer to assess the issue with the front wall of the café and develop a structural design. We also discussed methods of consultation to establish what people would like from the restoration and refurbishment beyond a brew and a butty. (This consultation is essential to the project, as we will need the resulting evidence to submit with any funding applications we make.) SCC will continue to assume liability of the café and restoration with the Partnership as an advisory body.
Just a reminder to everyone that the partnership is made up of representatives from the Save the Rose Garden Café group, Friends of Graves Park and Sheffield City Council.
Rose Garden Café Restoration Latest 12th January 2024
“The Friends had a good meeting within the Rose Garden Café Partnership Group today. The route to appoint a structural engineer who is either on the Conservation Accredited Register of Engineers (CARE) or has heritage experience, originally discussed last year, is now in the process of being actioned ahead of the next partnership meeting on 2nd February. At the next meeting, we will focus on two key items, funding applications and public engagement (including consultation), so we will be preparing and collating information on these two areas with a view to making focussed decisions on 2nd February. We also met with a chair applicant and made further progress to appointing a chair. A lot is going on in the background!
“The most important thing for the Friends is that we are still moving things along in the background and all the partners are acutely aware that there is an urgency to getting the restoration project off the ground. Once the structural engineers and the architect have done their work, we will be able to put together a business/action plan, which we need before we can apply for any funding. Progress has been made!”
Please continue to donate and spread the word about our Restoration Project! If we can raise £25,000 ourselves, this will show potential funding providers the local commitment to our cause.
Please be confident that your donations will be used for the restoration of the Rose Garden Café and the Friends will make sure that all money is very wisely spent.
As before, we will continue to keep you updated; in the meantime, now that the restoration option has been approved by the council and the partnership has been set up between the council, the Save the Rose Garden Café group and the Friends of Graves Park, any and all offers of help and donations will be gratefully received.
Please spread the word and let’s get people donating to our fundraiser! (See details below)
The Story so far…
Originally built in 1927, what is now the Rose Garden Cafe was opened by J. G. Graves to complement the recently established Graves Park. Click on this link to Joined up Heritage Sheffield to find out more about its history.
The cafe has been a popular and much loved attraction for generations of Graves Park users.
On 18th September 2023 the Rose Garden Cafe was listed on the South Yorkshire Local Heritage Register.
Rose Garden Café in Danger
In early summer 2022 Sheffield City Council carried out a survey of the café, decided the building was unsafe and closed it. Temporary safety measures have been put in place and the café is now partially open with a largely takeaway service.
Latest on the Rose Garden Café Restoration
On 18th October 2023, the Charity Subcommittee met at the Town Hall for a special meeting to decide the way forward regarding the Rose Garden Café. The Friends of Graves Park were in attendance, as well as the Save the Rose Garden Café group and both groups presented questions to the committee, after which the councillors spoke and asked questions of the council officers.
The resulting vote and decision was:
1. The proposal for Sheffield City Council, in partnership with stakeholders, to develop a Strategy for the restoration of the Rose Garden Café building (options 2A and 2B), pausing work on a replacement building approach (design options 3 and 4), and a limited works approach (design options 1 and 5).
2. That the Rose Garden Café Partnership once established creates an action plan to develop the strategy for restoration, which will include defining the following:
· A framework for a proportionate public consultation on the Rose Garden Café.
· Establish funding sources to meet the structural remediation and building refurbishment works.
· Agree a strategy for public communication.
https://democracy.sheffield.gov.uk/mgAi.aspx?ID=32538
This appears to be good news and the Friends of Graves Park will be pushing for action as soon as possible. While we are still not happy that more time and money is going to be wasted on a public consultation, we have stressed the need for this to be kept to an absolute minimum, as have the Save the Rose Garden Café group. We all feel that a petition of over 11,500 signatures, as well as a fundraising campaign of, so far, nearly £9000, is enough proof of the level of public feeling regarding this issue.
However, we must try to remain positive and work together to get this moving as soon as possible. The Friends and the SRGC group will therefore closely monitor any proposed consultation. In the meantime, there is no reason why the structure cannot be restored. Now that the building is on the Local List for its heritage value, it should be restored and kept with its original features, so no major changes or alterations to its appearance will be required.
The first step is for the reason for the lean on the front elevation to be established, before the restoration of the structure can be planned. (The Friends and their surveyor have been asking for this since March 2023, hopefully it will now happen). The Friends hope that this can be done by the end of the year, if the will is there.
The Friends of Graves Park and the Save the Rose Garden Café group will be meeting imminently to discuss the way forward and to kick-start a boost to the fundraising campaign. When it comes to applying for funding, the more money we have raised from the local community, the better. We also need to start pulling together the offers of pro bono professional support and labour (of which we have quite a bit), as well as offers of materials.
Regarding fundraising, past and potential donors can now be confident that their donations will be used for the restoration of the Rose Garden Café and the Friends will make sure that all money is wisely spent.
We will continue to keep you updated; in the meantime, now that the restoration option has been approved by the council, any and all offers of help and donations will be gratefully received.
Please spread the word and let’s get people donating to our fundraiser.
https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/RoseGardenCafeGravesPark?invite=true
or by BACS transfer, confirming with email:
Please pay “Friends of Graves Park”
Bank Details:- Sort Code 30-97-51 A/c No. 03370075
If you have any offers of support, please get in touch. Spread the word!
You could also consider joining the Friends of Graves Park. For £3 a year you can add your name to our Friends group and we can show the council how many people support us.
Walking to Save the Rose Garden Cafe
There have been a series of walks to support the campaign which have raised over £800.
If you want to sponsor our walkers, or make a donation to the Save the Rose Garden Cafe fundraiser, from the comfort of your own home, please visit our JustGiving page (above).
