Community group hopes to stay at historic pavilion

A community group said it hoped to stay in a Grade-II listed property despite not winning a bid to lease the entire building.

The Umbrella Fair organisation has occupied the ground floor of the pavilion at Northampton's Racecourse for 12 years, but West Northamptonshire Council rejected its application to manage the whole premises.

The Conservative-controlled council instead approved a bid by the Delapre Abbey Preservation Trust to oversee the future of the 130-year-old building.

The trust said it would hold a consultation on the future use of the "community asset" and said it was possible that the Umbrella Fair could continue to use part of the facility.

The Umbrella Fair was established in 2007 to raise awareness of climate issues and operated a cafe, bicycle recycling scheme and annual festival from the pavilion, which it has occupied since 2013.

Tina Matthew from the Umbrella Fair said the group had lodged a bid to take over the site - which also housed a restaurant on its upper floors - before the council announced that the Delapre Abbey Preservation Trust would oversee its future.

"We wanted the whole building," she said. "We needed the whole building to get the funding to develop it how we wanted to.

"When you're applying to get funding and grants, groups want to invest in a charity which they know is there for the long-term."

Ms Matthews said the organisation had "huge" support from the local community to continue to operate at the pavilion.

West Northamptonshire Council said a "fair" and "robust" review was held to determine the most suitable use for the pavilion, and added that it would work with current tenants to "ensure an orderly transition".

Richard Clinton, the chief executive of the Delapre Abbey Preservation Trust said the pavilion "needed some TLC", but "it could be a fantastic resource as a heritage asset".

He added that although the trust had outlined some "broad themes" for its use under their lease, no details had been confirmed.

He said: "We have to listen to the whole community [in the consultation on the pavilion's future use] and make sure the process is as inclusive as possible."

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