Cathedral Square Update – June 2010

St Martin’s House – construction

It’s good to be able to tell you that progress is broadly on target, with a few outdoor delays balanced by faster than expected progress in other areas inside the building.    As I write we’ve completed piling work in several lesser areas, and are just commencing the main foundation work for the reception area.    There is now a growing library of pictures on the website that tell the story!

Many of the Parish Reps took the chance to visit the place before work began, and I now want to offer them in particular a further chance to see what it’s like as work is in progress.   We’ve set aside Sunday 19^th September for that purpose.  It will again take the form of a tour from 2pm, followed by tea in the Visitor Centre, and then a chance to join the Cathedral congregation for Evensong at 4pm.

Prayer Pointers – for continued safety at work, and good progress on the contract

St Martin’s House – preparing for next January

It’s great to be able to report that we have just appointed Mrs Irene Reynolds as Operations Manager for St Martin’s House.    Renie is a member of St Mary, Melton Mowbray and currently works for the body that co-ordinates the work of all the East Midlands Councils. She will be starting with us in mid-July, to give plenty of time to work alongside me in preparation for SMH coming into use next January.

A small group has been meeting for some time now to plan The Move, particularly for Church House and Cathedral staff, who will be sharing space in the new building.  As part of that process we are holding a joint staffs afternoon on 16^th June to enable both sets of staff – some 50 people in all, including part-time posts – to begin to explore what the issues and opportunities will be.

Prayer Pointers – pray for Renie Reynolds, newly appointed Operations Manager

-    pray for staff from Church House and the Cathedral, beginning to work through the changes in location and working patterns

St Martin’s House – the work we hope to do

Alun Wyburn-Powell is due to complete his research underlying our NEETS working, and present it to the SMCP Board on 21^st June.  We are still working closely on this with the Children’s Society, who will be helping us work up our business plan and secure funding – which is, of course, very important.

 Prayer Pointers – for the decisions to be made about work with young people, on the back of our research, and for possible sources of funding for that.

The Square

The group overseeing the development of the Square proposals has acquired a new, more public, chair, in the person of John Nicholls.  John joined the SMCP Board last year, coming to us after completing his work as Chief Executive of the Leicester Regeneration Company.  He is now semi-retired, and eager to spearhead the work needed to gain the wider support in the local political and business communities that will be needed if we are to not only develop the right plans but also find ways of funding them in an increasingly difficult economic climate.

Prayer Pointer – for John Nicholls and the whole Square Group in this next phase of working

The Cathedral

The position on work in the Cathedral has been under review, and the following statement was issued following the SMCP Board meeting last month.   

“The commitment and vision of a re-ordered Cathedral is an integral part of the plans for Cathedral Square, alongside a refurbished St Martin’s House and a new city centre square.  Initial plans and designs for the Cathedral have been developed. Designs for the Square are more advanced, and will proceed to planning. Substantial public funding (and political support) will be necessary before any Square works can begin.

Since the beginning of the year we have been reviewing the advisability of initiating a major appeal for re-ordering at this time.  Our conclusion is that this is not the right time to launch such an appeal for what would be a very substantial sum of money.

We have been influenced by two main factors:

1. In the light of the challenging national financial context, including the growing constraints on public expenditure, individuals from both the city and county have advised that this is the wrong time to launch such an appeal
2. the need to build capacity to engage with all that the launch of an appeal would involve

Given that a postponement is likely to result in some delay, and that in January next year the Song School will relocate to St Martin’s House, the Chapter is supported in its aspiration to alleviate the most serious constraints to the Cathedral’s ministry by planning some interim works, especially to the cathedral backstage facilities. SMCPLtd would want to support Chapter’s aspiration, not least in finding some funding for this work.    Conversations with those who might support any future appeal will resume when the financial climate is clearer.”

Last word

One of the good things about my job is the variety of interesting things I can get to see and do.  The other day I was at the launch of the new agreement between the city council and a company called riversimple.  Leicester is one of only two cities in the UK chosen to trial a new car being developed to run with a minimal environmental impact, powered by hydrogen fuel cells.    This particular partnership is still under development, and represents a long-term commitment that may yet have a significant part to play in helping the transition from an oil-based economy that the whole world is faced with in the next few decades.  Cathedral Square and the diocese now have a chance to be in at the beginning of that.    We have rightly set ourselves some demanding standards as to what we hope to achieve through this Project – and playing our part in protecting the future of the planet is one of them.  It has to be more than just words….

Pete Hobson – Project Director   14 June 2010