The February semester in Nottinghamshire has come to a close and as a key opportunity to attract families from across the country, Nottingham Tourist Attractions will now take a hard look at their week’s earnings. But in one of the most internationally recognized venues in the city, it is not the gains that are counted, but the losses.
The start of 2023 provided an unexpected ray of hope in the form of Councilor Pavlos Kotsonis, the man who runs the leisure and culture report at Nottingham City Council. Cllr Kotsonis told a full public meeting that Nottingham could await the announcement of Nottingham Castle’s reopening date in January.
It was certainly welcome news to kick off the new year, given that 2022 unceremoniously ended with the castle’s closure after the trust that managed it collapsed. The failure of the Nottingham Castle Trust led to job losses, deep concern among local businesses and the closure of gates at a site with a history dating back to 1068.
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But while the promise of a reopening date announcement in January was welcome news for the people of Nottingham and beyond, it’s fair to say the promise took many in Nottingham City Council by surprise. As many will have predicted, January has come and gone without a reopening date being announced.
Instead, the only major announcements we’ve received from the council since the castle’s closure have been the ever-increasing costs associated with it. At the time of Nottingham Castle’s closure on November 21, Nottingham City Council said it could be forced to write off £2.68m worth of debts and loans. A loan totaling £1.859 million was made to the Nottingham Castle Trust to help enable its initial start-up.
The council also said it had outstanding invoices for services provided to the trust, amounting to £821,000. As if that wasn’t enough, Nottingham City Council revealed last week how much it has lost in terms of revenue and fees associated with upkeep of the castle.
When Nottingham Castle reopened in 2021 after a £33 million redevelopment, Nottingham City Council handed over responsibility for the venue to the trust. Under this arrangement, the trust paid the council a concession agreement that authorities say was used to cover borrowing costs following the castle’s redevelopment.
The council said that for the third quarter of 202223, it lost £293,000 in terms of lost revenue from this concession arrangement. On top of that, the council said it faced £300,000 of costs in the third quarter due to inheritance of “premises maintenance costs” for the castle, “pending a decision on future operations”.
When asked about the castle’s current state, people in Nottingham expressed their frustration, but also questioned how the place had previously been managed. Amanda Wilson, 54, from Gedling, said: “I think it’s a shame it’s closed, but at the end of the day it was too expensive for what it was. The money you spend there could be put to better use, which is what I thought.
“I’ve lived in Nottingham all my life and honestly I never saw the need to go more than once, I wasn’t even too keen on going after the renovation but maybe that’s just me.” Kevin White, 66, of Sherwood, said: “It was frustrating to hear that millions were spent on renovation only for it to close.
“I can’t even remember the last time I thought of going, but I guess for the younger crowd and visitors that’s a bit different. There’s definitely sadness over something major to Nottingham’s closure, but things are changing all the time. “.
Jack Edwards, 21, a student living downtown, said: “I’ve never been since I came here as a student. It was closed when I moved here to renovate it, and when it reopened, me and my friends We consider going.” but then it was over £10 just to get in, so we never ended up going.”
Some of the comments from this small selection of people highlight the unavoidable truth that Nottingham Castle was not operating at full steam ahead of the point of its closure. Dozens of employees resigned, there was a bitter dispute over racism and prices had to be revised after widespread criticism and low visitor numbers.
That’s why Nottingham City Council says it has to take its time considering the castle’s future, to avoid another calamitous end for whoever takes over next. A Nottingham Castle Transition Board is currently examining the future of the site.
The board is an internal organization of the council chaired by Cllr Kotsonis, who said the future of the castle is being examined by a “seasoned and seasoned team” with “rhythm and rigour”. The delay may be disappointing, but we wouldn’t even be talking about a delay if the unexpected January commit was never made.
Perhaps the most pertinent point in this whole sorry saga comes from the Improvement and Assurance Board (IAB) which continues to monitor Nottingham City Council. In its most recent report on authority, the IAB said: “Risk is a core discipline in all decision-making. Given Nottingham’s recent history, it is vital that there is no relaxation in this approach.”
People rightly expect Nottingham Castle to be open and attract thousands of people from all over the world, boosting both Nottingham’s coffers and image in the process. Judging by the hundreds of comments we’ve received from readers regarding Nottingham Castle, it seems patience is wearing thin.
But we must be prepared to hold out a little longer, especially if it means avoiding such a public and internationally noted embarrassment of Nottingham happening again in the future. When the announcement about the future of the castle finally arrives, it will be time to judge if it has been worth the wait.
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