PAPER D

Committee : Education, Community Development and Lifelong Learning Select Committee

Date : 9 September 2002

Title : VENTNOR BOTANIC GARDEN

REPORT OF THE HEAD OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND TOURISM

SUMMARY/PURPOSE

Members are invited to consider some of the issues that are fundamental to the operation and management of Ventnor Botanic Garden that will determine the level of support needed to maintain/improve the level of service offered.

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.

Figures would seem to have picked up in the current year, although many more journeys are being made by car and the limited number of parking spaces is proving to be a little restrictive in increasing numbers still further.

The Visitor Centre was opened in May 2000 and cost approximately £1.6M, 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 is now due for repair on 10^th and 11^th September.

The Issues

The fundamental issue for the Council to address is whether the current service provision at the Garden is adequately meeting all of the Council’s aspirations for it.

For Today

Simon Goodenough, the Curator of the Garden, will be in attendance to answer any questions relating to the Garden. A representative of Pabulum has been invited to attend the meeting to answer Members’ questions in relation to the current operation of the Palm Court Café and how it may develop in the future. Also a member of the Friends Society will be in attendance to offer its perspective on the Garden.

For Information

1. The gross budget for 2002/03 is £438,000 and the projected income is £227,000.

2. A capital bid of £35,000 was successful in 2001/02 to upgrade the footpaths and play area. A further £35,000 is still required to repair the remaining footpaths.

3. The Garden is to host a national conference of the Plant Collection Network in October this year.

4. The Garden will host a conference of the Professional Gardeners’ Guild in October 2003.

5. 3,000 children from Island schools have utilised the facility from January to June 2002.

6. 3 Art exhibitions have been held in the Visitor Centre since opening.

7. 23 specialist horticultural seminars have been held since the Visitor Centre opened.

8. Starting in September 2002 the Centre will be running the Royal Horticultural Society General as a horticultural qualification and this is fully subscribed.

9. This year the Garden had its first Artist in Residence and several hundred school children participated in workshops.

10. A Basic Skills project with families from Pan Estate worked on a batik project in July.

11. The Garden has been identified by the English Tourist Board as one of the most visited attractions in its class in the country. A research project from Wolverhampton University is currently preparing an industrial report for the ETB which features Ventnor Botanic Garden.

12. The Botanic Garden has a Friends Organisation of more than 1,000 members and a strong level of volunteer support.

13. English Heritage has registered the Garden as a grade II listed landscape.