PAPER B
EDUCATION, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND LIFELONG LEARNING SELECT COMMITTEE - 30 SEPTEMBER 2003
VENTNOR BOTANIC GARDEN
REPORT OF THE HEAD OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM
Members agreed to receive a report on the operation of the Botanic
Garden when setting the Select Committee’s workplan for the year.
ACTION REQUIRED BY THE SELECT COMMITTEE
That Members note the report.
BACKGROUND
Ventnor Botanic Garden is owned and operated by the Council. It was inherited from the former South Wight
Borough Council on the amalgamation of Councils in 1995.
The Garden covers 2.2 acres and contains approximately 8,000 species
and varieties of plants.
The number of visitors to the Garden is generally in the order of
250,000. Although in 2001/02 this
figure was somewhat reduced following the collapse of the Undercliff Road and
the limited public transport links to the Garden.
The Visitor Centre was opened in May 2000 and cost approximately £1.7m,
it was partly funded through a Millennium Commission lottery award (50%), the
matching funding coming from Biffaward and Southern Water. The problems with the lift in the centre are
well documented but it was fully repaired on 18th March 2003. A further breakdown did occur in July
resulting in no lift being available for 2 weeks.
RELEVANT PLANS,
POLICIES, STRATEGIES AND PERFORMANCE INDICATORS
The service that is the Botanic Garden supports the following themes of
the Community Plan:-
And the following objectives of the Corporate Plan:-
A mini best value review of the Garden was undertaken as part of the
review of the Community Development Service as a whole. The improvement plan that resulted from the
review was attached as Appendix 1 on the agenda.
The overall review describes the Botanic Garden as a “National Gem”.
A draft review of the original business plan agreed with the Millennium Commission is attached in Annex A to this report.
An extensive range of consultation with the public and key stakeholders
was undertaken as part of the best value review.
FINANCIAL, LEGAL,
CRIME AND DISORDER IMPLICATIONS
The Council has no statutory duty to provide the Botanic Garden.
ANNEX ATTACHED
Annex A - Review of
the first business plans and draft proposals for objectives for the period
2003-2006.
BACKGROUND PAPERS
USED IN THE PREPARATION OF THIS REPORT
Contact Point :
John Metcalfe, ( 823825 e-mail
[email protected]
JOHN
METCALFE
Head
of Community Development and Tourism
ANNEX A
BUSINESS PLAN REVIEW
1. Situation Analysis
2. Mission Statement
3. Business Plan Review – 1999 – 2003
4. Aims
5. Objectives
6. Services to be Provided
7. Marketing Plan
8. Human Resources Plan
9. Financial Planning
SITUATION ANALYSIS
Ventnor
Botanic Garden was first opened in 1970.
It is one of the country’s youngest botanical collections. The Garden attracts, on average 250,000
visitors per annum and is popular with tourists, island residents and
commercial visitors.
A
grant award of £850,000 from the Millennium Commission, matched by funding from
Southern Water (£250,000) and Biffaward (£600,000), has allowed the
construction of a Visitor Centre (£1.7million) to support the functioning of
the Garden.
After
three years of operation, there is a clearer picture of the role between the
Garden and the Visitor Centre and where the business trends now lie. The following plan outlines the aims,
objectives and targets of the Garden in entirety.
“Ventnor
Botanic Garden exists as a public amenity, for recreation, education and plant
conservation”
2.1
Introduction
The Visitor Centre
officially opened its doors in May 2000 and the first years have been spent
identifying business and visitor trends and adapting the functions and use of
the building to the requirements of the public. While nothing is set in stone, a basic stratagem is followed
whereby during the peak holiday season the function rooms are reserved for
Exhibitions (usually booked externally and of an appropriate theme) and at all
other times they are used for general hire, with priority given to education
courses and events hosted by the Garden’s educational staff. Over the three years, the Centre has
developed a reputation as a conference and function venue, which enables the
building to be used on a year round basis – particularly beneficial in the
quieter winter months
3.2 Revenue
The original Business
Plan had the main source of income for the Garden coming from car park
monies. For reasons listed in the next
section, the business trends have dictated that the main sources of income are
now divided into three areas - car
park, Gift Shop sales and Plant sales, with subsidiary income coming from the
hire of the function rooms, education and a percentage of sales from the
catering franchise contract
It can be seen from this
breakdown, that the utilisation of the function rooms has been extensive and
has reflected a marked trend for conferencing and specialist seminars,
particularly in the first two years, when the education programme was still at
infancy stage. A balance is now being
struck between general function usage and education so in the new Business
Plan, there will be a certain levelling of general room hire revenue and a
marked increase in education monies.
3.3 Key issues affecting business trends
3.3.1 The
inclined lift.
The continued
unreliability of the main inclined lift has proved a setback, in terms of
accessibility through the building for visitors of all abilities. During the
time when the lift was out of action, contingency plans were put in place in
the form of a disabled minibus and a part-time driver, which helped to combat
much of the problem.
3.3.2 Car
park charges.
In order to meet the
targets set out in the original Business Plan, the car park charges had to be
increased, which met with ill favour from much of the local community who quite
markedly stayed away. This, along with
other external factors mentioned later, is reflected in the dramatic drop in
Visitor numbers in Year two. At the end
of the second season, a decision was taken to introduce a 3-month parking permit,
available to island residents only, with the aim of attracting the local
community back to the Garden. The view
taken that there would be a better chance to increase the revenue in other
areas, ie Gift Shop, plant sales and the cafe with a higher volume of visitors,
who of course would be visiting the Garden all year round. The permit is still in use and has proved to
be highly popular and very well received - visitor numbers are now increasing
again.
3.3.3 Weather
Despite having a new
Visitor Centre, there is still the common perception that the garden is a fair
weather attraction; hence our business is very much weather dependant. At the beginning of 2001, the spate of
storms that hit the island had a two-fold effect – one, visitors stayed away
and secondly, the torrential rain caused a landslip further along the
Undercliff which necessitated the closing of the through road that passes the
Garden. Although the Garden was still
accessible, the signage encouraged detours by-passing all the attractions along
the Undercliff. This, combined with the
outbreak of Foot and Mouth hit all the businesses in this area hard – an
indication cited by the closing down of our neighbours at the Rare Breeds Park
who were unable to continue after two hard years. The road was opened again in October 2002, however much business
was lost in the two main seasons when there was no-through road past the
Garden.
3.3.4 Education
Officer
Education being the
primary function of the new Centre, the role of Education Officer was always an
important one to fill – consistency being of paramount importance. Our first Education Officer, appointed in
September 2000, unfortunately left in March 2001for another position, however
in September 2001 we were fortunate in employing a qualified teacher and
horticulturalist combined. From this
time, we have been able to establish nationally acclaimed courses as well as
less formal workshops and fun educational activities for children. The Education Officer has recently returned
from maternity leave and we are now looking forward to a period of consistency
in our educational programme.
3.4.1 Visitor Numbers:
April 00 – March 01
|
April 01 – March 02 |
April 02 – March 03 |
|
298,524 |
246,735 |
277,463 |
Each year has fluctuated greatly in terms of visitor
numbers. The first year saw the highest
number of visitors to the Garden, reflecting the interest of the local
community in the project and the excellent weather that year. Year two was a year fraught with external
factors that played heavily on numbers – with Foot and Mouth and the road
closure at the start of the year, loss of the main inclined lift from September
01 – March 03, and the increase in carpark charges; Year three saw the locals
beginning to return to the Garden with the introduction of the local permit,
although business was still affected by the lack of lift, and the lack of the
main road which remained closed for a second main season.
It is anticipated, after study of the first three years of
operation that the Visitor numbers will level out at around 275,000 a year.
3.4.2 Education
School visits. Due largely to the lack of a full-time
permanent Education Officer, formalised school visits have not been
consistent. However regardless of this,
many schools visit and use the facility independently. This has hitherto gone unrecorded but this
will be addressed in the future.
At this point it would be prudent to note
that much work has been spent on adult education and Life Long Learning with
the RHS General Certificate, Gardening Clubs and workshops that have been set
up and are on-going. Along with
schools, these will form much of the Education Officer’s focus in the next
Business Plan period.
3.4.3 Specialist seminars.
Targets set have been well met and exceeded as the reputation of the
Visitor Centre as a Conference and Teaching facility has grown.
3.4.4 Temporary
Exhibitions. Again as the Centre’s reputation grows, many
external exhibitors have expressed interest in using the larger function room
as a venue. In order to strike the
correct balance with conferences, functions and education, the most appropriate
time for exhibitions is in the school
holiday and Bank Holidays, which coincides with our peak tourist trade and is
traditionally a quieter time for other bookings. Statistics show an increase in demand for the Visitor Centre as
an Exhibition venue with a projected 10 bookings for the coming year.
3.4.5 National
Conferences. Since our opening, we have hosted both
national and international conferences, organised both internally and
externally:
Medical Research Council
Local Government Agency’s Coastal Management
European Coastal Management
The Plant Collection Network of England and Ireland
The Professional Gardener’s Guild
3.4.6 Recreational events to
promote the long-term involvement of the community:
Artist in residence workshops and displays in the Garden
Poetry Trail
Basic skills for disadvantaged families through Batik making
Friend’s Open days
Art in the Garden
Volunteer work through the Ventnor Botanic Garden Friend’s Society
3.4.7 Recreational events
promoting new visits to the Garden:
Wreath-making workshops
Hanging basket making workshops
Holiday and Half term fun activities for children:
-
Wind
chime making
-
Play
in a day
-
Making
miniature gardens
-
Easter
Egg hunts
Folk and Blues Concert
Samba Band
Shakespeare in the Garden
3.4.8 To achieve an average return on capital
employed of 45%.
A large proportion of the costs of the Garden are not actual
running costs, but are re-charges to the Council for its’ Support
services. Below you will find two
different %’s for each year, one revenue return against all costs and the other
using the actual operational costs of the Garden:
|
|
2000 - 01 |
2001 -02 |
2002 – 03 |
|
Total costs |
£504,921.73 |
£558,387.53 |
£578,776.93 |
|
Running costs |
£427,950.61 |
£429,260.37 |
£442059.93 |
|
Net revenue |
£218,339.50 |
£208,094.21 |
£201,048.69 |
|
% of revenue against
total costs |
43.24% |
37.3% |
34.7% |
|
% of revenue against
running costs |
51% |
48.5% |
45.5% |
To collect, store and disseminate the fullest range of
information in respect of the development of the plant world and its
interaction with man.
To deliver a programme of educational opportunities to
the widest audience which promote an understanding of the importance of plants
in society.
To play a global role in the conservation and
management of plants.
To be a facility which is recreational in its own
right.
To adopt the principles of environmental
sustainability throughout all areas of the operation.
To develop a managerial approach which gives more say
to service users.
To ensure the use of the Visitor Centre facilities are
optimised for community activities.
To
achieve a total number of 800,000 visits in the three-year period.
To
achieve 90 school visits in the three-year period.
Adult
Education. To hold three national
accredited courses over the three-year period.
Life-long
Learning. To offer 20 individual community focussed workshops/seminars per annum.
Art
Events: To host two performing art
events per annum.
To
host four visual Art Exhibitions per annum.
Conferences. To organise and host one national conference
per annum.
Function/Conferences. To host 90 function/conferences per annum.
To
achieve an average return of 45% on capital employed.
To
achieve 30,000 fee-paying visits into the Green House over the three-year
period.
To
receive 300 permanent accessions to the plant collection.
5.1 The Gardens
The
gardens house the principal plant collections and provide the primary focus for
study and recreation. Care needs to be
exercised in their maintenance for the highest standards and development.
The
gardens will remain open at all times all year round.
Key
issues to be addressed are:-
·
the renewal of the main
exhibition in the Visitor Centre
·
the continuing need to
improve signage
·
the goal to achieve full
classification of the plant collection hampered by labelling costs, theft and
vandalism
·
to identify a strong
relationship between the plant collection (public access database) with the
Reference Library
5.2 The “Green”
House
The
House has undergone extensive re-landscaping and planting and following three
years of not charging the public, a small admission fee is now levied for
entrance into the main part of the House.
The
“Green” House will be open at the
same time as the Visitor Centre but will always close 30 minutes before it.
Key
issues to be addressed are:-
·
continuing development
of the new collection and its usage as an educational resource
·
re-design and layout of
foyer
·
Plant Sales from the “Green” House and their relationship
with the Garden
5.3 Nurseries and
Plant Sales
All
plant production is now conducted in the nurseries over the road with Plant
sales consolidated to reflect the development of the Garden. Income from these retail sales is central to
the current income streams generated by the Garden.
The
nurseries are not open to the public – plant sales are made from the “Green” House during its opening hours.
Key
issues to be addressed are:-
·
requirement for
expansion in the growing of plants to meet future garden development and public
demand
·
transportation of plants
from the top nurseries to the Gardens and Point of Sale area
5.4 Car Parking
Monies
from car and coach parking does not form the
main source of income to the site as laid out in the original Business
Plan. Furthermore as a public facility,
the charging structure has to be carefully thought out to strike a balance
between community use and charging.
Key
issues to be addressed are:-
·
re-deign layout at the
eastern end of the car park to increase capacity for coaches and meet demand
·
to maintain a level of
charging that does not penalise regular community use
·
a poor public transport
infrastructure
5.5 Visitor
Centre
The
Gift Shop, main exhibition area and library will all be public spaces which
will be accessible at all times the centre is open. Control of the building will continue to come through a CCTV
system monitored from the point of sale in the shop. Administration staff will continue to manage the reference
library.
There
are three levels of use of the lecture theatre and Exhibition II, with priority
given to educational bookings.
Conferences and functions help to fill quieter times of the year and
external exhibitors hire out Exhibition II in the peak holiday times to add
value for the tourists who visit the Gardens at these times.
The
Centre management adopt a flexible approach to the hiring out of both these
rooms as required, and as such there are no formalised opening and closing
times for either room. All bookings
conform to any relevant licensing conditions.
Key
issues to be addressed are:-
·
limited capability to
host private functions/receptions due to lack of a permanent bar, thus
minimising catering opportunities
·
proven reliability of
disabled access through the building following inclined lift problems
·
continued identification
of appropriate retail items sold in the Gift Shop to promote increased spend
per head.
·
Difficulty of
reliability of island suppliers
·
Public access IT system
requiring extensive modernisation
5.6 The Palm
Court Cafe
The
first franchise was awarded for five years and during the period of this
Business Plan, consideration will be given to the future of the catering of the
Visitor Centre.
Options
for consideration will be:-
·
re-tendering of contract
·
bringing the catering
in-house
Key
issues to be addressed are:-
·
ensuring flexibility of
caterers
·
ensuring the caterer’s
commitment to the corporate image of the site
·
ensuring the correct
ambience is created and maintained
With
limited resources available, much of the Centre’s marketing has been targeted
to increase general awareness of the Garden as a whole. This strategy has created an audience for
our specific roles in education, recreation and horticulture. From our expanding visitor profile, we are
able to develop future marketing opportunities. The more specific and targeted marketing of the three areas is
largely generated in-house.
Key
issues to be addressed are:-
·
To ensure the quality of
the in-house marketing is improved
·
To explore further
national marketing opportunities
·
Limited resources to
advertise to all potential garden users
·
To ensure a balance is
struck between marketing and the ability to provide the service
The
staffing levels as laid out in the original Business Plan has worked
satisfactorily, with the exception of the Education Officer. It is thought that if we wish to cover the
entire education spectrum – schools, adult education and life-long learning
plus additional recreational activities, one officer is not enough to
sufficiently meet demand in a professional and thorough way.
Key issues to be addressed are:-
·
Prioritising the
education “markets” so that demand is met to a satisfactory standard
As
mentioned previously in the Business Plan, the three main sources of income for
the site are derived from Gift Shop revenue, Plant Sales and car-park
monies. In order to meet one of the
primary objectives, the site should achieve 45% of the cost of running the
Garden which amounts to approximately £225,000 (net). If the percentage revenue trend of the past three years is used,
the breakdown of monies should be as follows:
|
Revenue
area |
% |
Budget |
|
Education |
3.2% |
£7,000 |
|
Gift Shop |
32% |
£72,000 |
|
Plant sales |
24% |
£54,000 |
|
Cafe |
11.5% |
£26,000 |
|
Room Hire |
3.2% |
£7,000 |
|
Car Park |
20.4% |
£46,000 |
|
Admissions |
5.3% |
£12,000 |
|
Miscellaneous |
.4% |
£1,000 |
|
TOTAL |
100.00% |
£225,000.00 |