Cash shortfall hits Cowane’s project
Patrons to take over after hospital restoration halted
Plans to restore one of Stirling’s most historic buildings were this week thrown into doubt.
Fundraising for the bid to transform Cowane’s Hospital has been put on hold after a shortfall in cash needed to trigger the award of multi-million pound grants required to carry out the work.
The former almshouse in Stirling dates from the 17th Century and was created by the city’s greatest benefactor, the merchant John Cowane.
Since 2010, it has been run by the Cowane’s Hospital Maintenance Trust which cared for the building and opened it to the public.
The trust developed a £4 million plan for the building and gardens to be refurbished, complete with a new visitor centre, creating 19 new jobs.
Heritage Lottery Fund pledged almost £2 million towards its restoration and a £226,000 contribution to the £330,000 cost of developing detailed plans for the project. Efforts began to raise further cash and frame an application that would turn HLF’s £2 million pledge into reality.
An application for HLF cash was to be submitted by June and it was hoped that a positive response would allow work on the restoration to commence at the end of 2018 with the opening scheduled for December of the following year.
However, maintenance trust chairman Fergus Wood told the Observer that the “increasingly tough fundraising environment” meant they faced a shortfall in the amount of money they needed to progress the project further.
Following a meeting of the trust on October 25, it was decided that ownership of the hospital and gardens would now return to the Patrons of Cowane’s Hospital Trust, Scotland’s second oldest charity, which was set up by John Cowane. It is now up to the patrons to take the project forward.
Mr Wood said they had hoped to receive City Deal money towards the project but that looked increasingly unlikely.
He added: “We pulled together a business plan and all the architectural drawings required and we revitalised the building. We now have a flourishing cafe, a venue for functions and we had carried out a lot of necessary work such as improvements to the gardens and electrical system. We managed to put Cowane’s on the map and wanted to take it forward but we couldn’t raise the necessary funds in the timeframe. It’s a great shame because Cowane’s is a great asset for Stirling and for the Top of the Town in particular.
“We have passed all our work on to the patrons. They have an oven-ready package and it will be a question of what they are prepared to do and how much money they can raise.”
Stirling Provost Christine Simpson, chair of the Patrons of Cowane’s Hospital Trust, said: “It makes absolute sense to pause the restoration so we can look at the best options for the future of Cowane’s Hospital but we are confident of a positive outcome.”
A Stirling Council spokesperson said: “City Region Deal negotiations with both governments are ongoing and, in common with all other City Deals, the discussions and their detail are confidential. Stirling and Clackmannanshire Councils continue to work hard with our partners to secure a City Region Deal that will be transformational for the area and allow us to deliver a wide range of projects.”
It makes absolute sense to pause the restoration so we can look at the best options for the future of Cowane’s Hospital