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In July 2010 a working group headed by architectural
designer, Nick Hopper (Dipl.Arch) was formed to investigate the building, operation
and management of the proposed Café/Restaurant in Hotham Park. The Group was
formed of like minded individuals representing or working for the following
organisations;
·
Laurie Barnes,
Bognor CIVIC Society;
·
David Barton,
Greener Bognor Network;
·
Su Cloud,
Community Arts Bognor Regis;
·
Nick Hopper,
ADS.
·
Michael
Rowlands, Arun District Council; (advising)
·
Peter Stanley,
Aldingbourne Trust;
·
Rosemary Warren,
Hotham Park Heritage Trust;
Initial Meetings discussed the overseeing of the
design, development, construction, administration and operation of a
community lead Cafe/Restaurant.
The vision of the deign team headed by Nick Hopper
is as follows:-
To create a unique visitor attraction that responds
to the parkland setting of Hotham by integrating the building within the
canopy of the trees.
The structure
will take the form of an elevated Tree-House that offers both direct user
interaction with its surrounding environment and habitat and a nodal back
drop to the events and activities in the park; It is understood that by
providing a unique tourist venue within the setting of the park, that a sound
commercial platform can be established for the future economic security of
the facility.
The following
principles will guide the design, build and operation of the “T-House”:-
·
The Café will
utilise sustainable materials drawing from perma-culture principles of design
integration;
·
Materials will
be locally sourced;
·
Some food to be
grown on-site; This would also act as a learning resource for nearby schools;
·
Linked child
friendly facilities that would be relevant to the Tree-house concept, eg.
Climbing Ropes to upper storey;
·
An appropriate
mix of healthy eating and snacks relevant to the demographic target audience
by day with a quality dining offer for evening;
·
Locally sourced
suppliers, goods and services wherever possible both in the management of the
set-up and the operation thereafter;
·
a programme of
community involvement in the design, build and operation will be implemented
with a view to addressing and exceeding the stipulations of the Arun
Developer and Charter Plus Scheme (parts 1-6). This would include training and employment,
participatory activities associated with skills acquisition, and course
opportunities relevant to the site and the project’s aims and objectives.
·
Equal Access
provision across all areas of the facility;
·
Opportunity for
rental of part of the facility for occasional community use;
·
Full Integration
with the Hotham Park’s Trustee’s objectives for the park;
·
Self Sustaining
Economic model after initial capital investment;
·
A unique tourist
attraction that helps define Bognor’s image whilst offering an exemplar to
the notion of sustainable, community lead projects in the town.
The park at Hotham in Bognor Regis has a history dating back to
the origins of the growth of the town in the late 18th century. It has
undergone extensive regeneration in recent years with a £2.2 million face
lift making it a unique and valuable asset to the people of the town in terms
of its natural beauty and the annual events that are planned and take place
there.
We are proposing a brand new and unique facility befitting the
upgrade of the park that will provide a unique experience for the people of
Bognor and tourists alike. A tree top cafe that sits amongst the canopy of
the park and interacts with its surroundings providing a learning resource
and a completely interactive holistic experience. The cafe will be built,
managed and operated by the people of Bognor and include meeting rooms for
community use as well as linking to play areas and activities amongst the
trees in an entirely sustainable way that minimises impact to its
surroundings.
We believe the tree top cafe at Hotham would provide a unique
resource for Bognor Regis serving visitors, Butlin’s traffic and local use
offering an exemplar model to sustainable, regenerative growth for the area
and its stakeholders.
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The facility will be marketed in a
number of ways:-
·
The project
places local stakeholder interest at the heart of its objectives. It is considered this emphasis will provide
“buy-in” momentum from local users.
·
Community
dialogue to establish future secure customer base; eg. School Grow and Eat
facilities;
·
The
establishment of partnering or discount arrangements with key target
audiences would be considered; eg. Butlin’s customer demographic;
·
Tie-in with
Hotham Park events;
·
Tie-in with
local authority events or objectives;
·
Additional Café
specific events would offer added reason to visit for locals and tourists;
·
Local/Regional
Promotions Offers;
·
Competitions
programme for database acquisition;
·
Mail-outs and
online Direct Marketing;
·
Internet and Web
presence;
·
TV presence
during construction due to particular nature and uniqueness of the proposal;
·
On-going media
coverage;
·
Dedicated Social
Networking and Media presence;
·
PR and Editorial
campaign with regional/local or industry specific tie-in;
·
Some traditional
advertising where necessary.
We have a record of PR and local press
activity in support of the groups aspirations including an online petition some
of which can be viewed at the following:-
http://www.bognorregispeople.co.uk/groups/events/T-House-inspires-children-s-ideas/story-5990250-detail/story.html
http://www.bognor.co.uk/news/local/tree_top_cafe_planned_in_bognor_1_1495507
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/hothamt-house/signatures/page/4
http://www.bognorregispeople.co.uk/groups/regeneration/Tree-Dining-Bognor-Residents/story-5404308-detail/story.html
http://www.bognorregispeople.co.uk/pictures/T-House/pictures-5980318-detail/pictures.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hotham_Park
http://t-houseproject.blogspot.co.uk/
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A wide spectrum of skills can be directly resourced
or have been made available to the working group including but not limited to
the following:-
These resources can be provided within a formal
framework by the organisation or through outsourcing; Additional skill sets
can be resourced externally where appropriate to demand.
Further details can be made available if progress to
Stage II is considered.
Whilst the working group has entered into discussion
with a potential operator who is keen to establish a partnership arrangement
for day-to-day running of the facility, no formal agreement has been
reached. It is understood that as part
of the formal bid these arrangements will be formalised within the scope of a
viable business model and plan.
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