The £4.5m art gallery extension with leaky roof, blocked sewers that need millions more and may never re-open is a 'complete disaster' says Kettering mayor

Kettering’s £4.5m flagship heritage project to ‘improve’ the town’s gallery, library and museum has been described as a ‘complete disaster’ by the mayor of Kettering.

Cllr Keli Watts (Lab) who is a Kettering town councillor and newly-elected to North Northants Council (NNC) has reacted to information that the recently-extended library requires wrapping to make it watertight – and Alfred East Art Gallery may never re-open due to underlying issues.

Under the working title of the GLaM project, some of Kettering’s most iconic buildings were to be revitalised.

At the beginning of February, NNC told this newspaper they would provide ‘regular updates regarding opening the overall site’ but since have remained tight-lipped regarding the true state of the buildings.

Cllr Watts said: “The whole thing is a complete disaster. It’s very sad for Kettering and concerning for the world of art. If anything was to happen to that collection that would be a travesty. I feel quite sad and concerned. Wild rumours are flying around the town about the buildings’ demise. The Manor House Museum and the Alfred East Art Gallery may never re-open.

"We have been told that the whole building needs to be wrapped in plastic to preserve the integrity of the building because basically it’s a leaking sieve.”

The original GLaM proposals, approved by Kettering Borough Council in 2019, for extensive work to the art gallery, did not include improvements to the adjoining library roof.

One person with knowledge of the plan said: “Being a Grade II listed building you have got to use a certain technique. It’s going to cost a conservative estimate of £1m. Wrapping it will take time and then it will need re-roofing which is very expensive. It’s skilled labour and there will be a waiting list.

"The gallery may not open for another year, if at all – galleries do close forever.”

In order to prevent more water damage to the 1904 library – and connected 1913 art gallery – the Grade II listed buildings will need to be wrapped by a specialist team using the correct tenting technique to ensure the building works do not cause irreparable damage. The project will need to be overseen by a conservation architect and surveyor. An estimate for the work has been given as a ‘conservative £1m’.

The tenting will then allow for the historic but crumbling Collyweston slate roof that protects a large part of the complex, including portions of the new extension to be replaced.

According to research that garnered more than 700 responses in summer 2019 by the now-defunct Kettering Borough Council, the town centre’s ‘Cultural Quarter’- was considered the town centre’s ‘greatest asset’.

In February a spokesman for NNC said: “Great progress has been made to bring this part of the project to its conclusion. The council is now exploring bringing forward a further capital proposal to replace the library roof and is working extensively with contractors to find the best solution that will minimise the impact on access to the venues and protect the work that has been completed to date, while any further works are undertaken.”

In the meantime wheelie bins and buckets have been collecting drips from ceiling to prevent the rainwater from damaging books and plastic sheeting covers parts of the newly-restored original wooden parquet floor. It is also believed that the Edwardian sewer system has been unable to cope since the extension.

Funding for the project was announced in August 2020, with South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership (SEMLEP) awarding £3m from the Government’s Getting Building Fund (GBF) to redevelop the town’s Alfred East Art Gallery and Library.

Since then, North Northamptonshire Council have propped up the project with additional £1m.

The buildings – ‘significant historical assets’ were to be enhanced to create an ‘attractive and exciting town centre’ to act as a ‘catalyst for further investment’. Included in the new development is a Business and IP Centre to be used by local entrepreneurs and innovators as an advice and support hub.

A spokesman for SEMLEP said: “The last couple of years have been an extraordinarily challenging time in which to deliver projects and with the added sensitivity of historic buildings such as this, we understand that delays occur. “We are continuing to work closely with the team at North Northants Council to ensure that the full benefits of the project are realised for the people of Kettering.”

Cornerstone timeline

2018 – Kettering Borough Council (KBC), owners of Kettering Museum and the Alfred East Art Gallery, and Northamptonshire County Council (NCC), owners of Kettering Library, start discussions setting out the long-term desire to ‘improve and maximise the potential’ of the gallery, library and museum and their services

2019 – More than 700 people respond to a survey about the town’s heritage quarter

2019 – KBC commits funds to pay for a feasibility study by heritage development, funding and planning experts Colliers International

2019 – Funding application is submitted to South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership Local (SEMLEP) Growth Fund resulting in the the ‘GLaM’ successfully being identified as a ‘pipeline project’ – recognised within the region for its ‘strategic importance’ and ‘deliverability’

July 2020 – Working alongside SEMLEP the GLaM project is submitted as part of a regional bid to the Government to access Getting Building Fund money

August 2020 – The now-defunct KBC secures £3m from the Getting Building Fund, administered by SEMLEP

September 2020 – A multi-disciplinary project team including an architectural specialist expands on the initial design ideas with ‘must haves’

October 2020 – Planning application relating to external build is submitted. Key stakeholder engagement begins

January 2021 – Planning permission is approved. Of the £3m grant and further £640,000 from KBC reserves and £300,000 from NCC, a total of £867,000 is earmarked for internal refurbishment of the library, another £300,000 on a new roof. £1.6m is to be spent on the extension to the art gallery with another £163,000 spent on an internal renovation

February 2021 – Trees are felled and relocated to make way for the building work

April 2021 – NCC and KBC cease to exist with North Northants Council taking on their place in the project

May 2021 – Design completed. Library closes temporarily and art treasures put into storage off-site

June 2021 – Enabling works begin with the demolition of outbuildings close to the site

July 2021 – Construction begins and is scheduled to take 12 months. The library partially re-opens to public March 2022 – GLaM name dropped and replaced with ‘Cornerstone’ causing uproar. Councillors release a further £75,000 from the NNC's capital funds because the scheme is running over-budget

July 2022 – Another £412,000 is released by NNC to ensure the project continues – ‘soft opening’ of Cornerstone planned for January 2023

February 2023 – Cornerstone signs goes up but no opening