Another Boost For Gunnersbury Park Restoration

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More funds approved to make it a "standout" attraction

Councillors have formally approved an additional £2.192 million investment in Gunnersbury Park to help deliver the ambitious regeneration plans for the park.

The extra money is on top of the £2.6 million already committed to the project, and will be added to the £8.8 million from the Heritage Lottery Fund announced earlier this year, and £5 million from Ealing council who jointly own the site.

The scheme will see significant improvement to the park and museum, including:

• Repairing the external and internal fabric of the Large Mansion, making more areas of the building open to the public and re-establishing views into and out of the building
• Creating display rooms on the ground and first floor to properly showcase museum collections and be available for events, conferences and functions
• Refurbishing the drawing room, long gallery and dining room, along with the historic kitchen and servants rooms
• Improving the visitor reception area, signage and gift shop
• Building new learning spaces
• Installing a lift to the upper floors to improve public access
• Building a new park café and carriage display gallery
• Reintroducing activity to the park such as boating on the round pond
• Restoration of the orangery, horseshoe lake and other park landscape features

(The Large Mansion, home to the Gunnersbury Park Museum)

The scheme will see significant improvement to the park and museum, including:

• Repairing the external and internal fabric of the Large Mansion, making more areas of the building open to the public and re-establishing views into and out of the building
• Creating display rooms on the ground and first floor to properly showcase museum collections and be available for events, conferences and functions
• Refurbishing the drawing room, long gallery and dining room, along with the historic kitchen and servants rooms
• Improving the visitor reception area, signage and gift shop
• Building new learning spaces
• Installing a lift to the upper floors to improve public access
• Building a new park café and carriage display gallery
• Reintroducing activity to the park such as boating on the round pond
• Restoration of the orangery, horseshoe lake and other park landscape features

Councillors also agreed to plans to create a new social enterprise to manage the estate. A new community interest company (CIC), which would be jointly owned by Hounslow and Ealing councils, will be set up to take over management of the estate in 2017.

Cllr Sachin Gupta, cabinet member for leisure and public health at the council, said:

“We’ve got ambitious plans to make Gunnersbury a standout London attraction park that residents can be proud of and visitors to the borough will be able to enjoy for years to come.

“We are – along with Ealing and the Heritage Lottery Fund – are investing significant amounts of money to improve the estate over the next few years, but there is still more we want to do to create a park of real value to the local community.

“Both Hounslow and Ealing have been jointly managing the house and park for some time, but we both recognise this isn’t ideal if we want it to have a sustainable future.

“The new management arrangement will help make sure plans for the park are sustainable in the long term, whilst giving both councils the oversight local people would expect for this important public asset.”

The CIC was chosen as it allows both councils to retain strategic control of the park, protect the park’s assets and allow any surplus income to be reinvested to improve the facilities.

Refurbishment work will begin in spring 2015 and is due for completion by spring 2017. Once all of the improvements to Gunnersbury Park and Museum are completed, visitor numbers are expected to rise from 600,000 to over a million per year.

October 14, 2014