Chelsea Gardener Confirms Takeover of Fulham Palace Garden Centre
Iconic glasshouses empty for over two years to reopen in 2017
The Chelsea Gardener has confirmed that it is planning to reopen Fulham Palace Garden Centre on Fulham Palace Road, which has been empty for over two years.
Andy Kyte of The Chelsea Gardener, which already has one site in Sydney Street in Chelsea, told FulhamSW6.com: "The 'rumour mill' is correct and we will be taking Fulham Palace but we're in early negotiation stages and nothing is finalised as it stands."
He adds: " There are a number of plans in the pipeline and exciting changes which will be unveiled when we open next year, so the message really is at this stage 'watch this space'."
The garden centre and its iconic glasshouses were closed down by the Prince's Trust charity in August 2014 and an attempt to lease it the Pets at Home charity failed to go ahead after protests from local residents and businesses.
The garden centre was originally run by the Fairbridge Trust to help disadvantaged young people into work, with profits going towards the work of the trust.
The Prince's Trust took over from Fairbridge in 2011 and in 2013 bought two-thirds of the centre's lease from Hammersmith & Fulham Council for more than £500,000.
However a year later it released a statement saying: " As a charity, The Prince’s Trust is required to focus on its core activity of supporting disadvantaged young people into jobs and training.
"The garden centre is not a core part of The Trust’s operations and, with this in mind, we are looking at leasing the site as this will be the best way to raise funds in support of more young people."
In May this year, The Prince's Trust sold the centre for £1.275m to the Church Commissioners in May 2016, saying the site "wasn't financially viable".
A spokesperson for The Prince’s Trust said: "Our priority as a charity is to provide support to help disadvantaged and vulnerable young people into jobs and training. Whilst operating a garden centre was a lovely idea, it wasn’t financially viable for us to do so.
"The site was sold for £1.275 million which could potentially support more than a thousand young people to change their lives."
The half acre premises include the glasshouses, office, workshops and outdoor space.
October 6, 2016
