§ Mr. AltonTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what funding will be available to enable the completion of the renovation of the Sefton Park palm house, Liverpool; and what timetable has been established for the completion of the work.
§ Mr. BaldryThe hon. Member will recall that urban programme funding of £0.254 million, was secured for a short-term rescue package to arrest further deterioration and make the structure safe and secure.
These works were completed last summer. Their purpose, to secure the palm house for a maximum of seven years while proposals for its long-term use were developed, has been achieved. The consideration, by Liverpool city council, of the palm house's future, together with the wider issue of maximising the use of Sefton Park and its facilities, will need to be carried out as part of an overall tourism strategy.
There will be opportunities, under both the single regeneration budget and objective 1, for projects developed in partnership with the private sector and the Community to be successful in a bid for funding. Obviously, I cannot judge whether such a partnership approach would be forthcoming in the case of Sefton Park palm house, nor can I say that if it did, such a bid would be successful.