A council spokesman said: “We are continuing to look for funding opportunities as part of our Moving Forward programme and once proposals have been worked up we will provide the Spalding Town Forum with an update.”
The project last came before the forum in March 2016. The council’s place manager, Paul Jackson, told members that the design by Heritage Lincolnshire – the cost of which the council has refused to disclose to The Voice as being “commercially sensitive” – was as good as they should expect for the £57,000 budget.
However, he pledged to go away and explore new funding streams which were available in light of the war memorial’s upgrade to Grade I listed status and report back in six months’ time.
The design – criticised as looking like a bus stop – was granted planning consent last January.
Friends of Ayscoughfee chairman and town forum member Coun Graham Dark criticised the lack of consultation with user groups and said the resultant design was not wanted or needed.
The performance area project – due to be funded by the remainder of Springfields S106 money – was first discussed three years ago.
As reported in The Voice last summer, the district council is looking at fresh business cases for its three large assets in Spalding – its offices in Priory Road, the South Holland Centre and Ayscoughfee Museum Hall and Gardens.
The museum and gardens and held in trust to the people of Spalding, and a council report said maintenance and upkeep are an “increasing pressure” on the council’s budget.
It added: “The business case will seek to secure a sustainable future for the facility by transferring the asset to a specialist external agency (eg. cultural/leisure trust, heritage organisation).
“The site will benefit from further promotion as an important heritage facility within the district and an expanded cultural offer.”
