After a meeting with councillors last week it was decided that a local volunteer group UCE (Ulverston Community Enterprise) will take over the running of the iconic venue, as well as taking control of the Market Hall and other markets as well.
It’s a huge boost to UCE who have, for some time, campaigned for the people of Ulverston to have a say in how their town’s greatest assests are run. It’s believed that the Coronation Hall will be ‘reimagined and more focus will be placed on community led projects and ideas.
UCE plan to revitalise the markets (something that in recent years has been neglected), and are looking at ways to increase the amount of visitors to the Town centre. A large increase in footfall will benefit everyone, from stall holders to independent shops in the town.
UCE are looking to turn the Coronation Hall into a community hub, and will pay a peppercorn (nominal ground rent) for the building, with SLDC still being responsible for the maintenance of the Hall.
Chair of Ulverston Community Enterprises, Judy Pickthall, said: “UCE would like to thank and congratulate South Lakeland District Council on taking a step towards trusting and investing in Ulverston and its communities to own and manage its own assets ‘for the common good’.’’
The transfer should be completed by April 1st 2016. These are exciting times for both UCE and the Coronation Hall, it’s a big leap into the unknown, and there will be an awful lot of hard work involved in order to turn the vision into a reality. But, if handled correctly, it can only lead to a more vibrant and prosperous Ulverston.
And that’s something we all want to see.
