Agenda item

To receive a verbal upate on the Monument.

The Committee heard an update on the Monument from the Assistant Director Culture & Projects.

The Committee noted that an operational delivery transition plan for the Monument that would have brought the Monument under the aegis of the Environment Department has been superseded and the Monument is likely to have a new management home away from Tower Bridge within a cultural service area, and a fresh transition plan was recently drafted that is expected to be presented to the Committee in February 2025.

The meeting also noted these points:

-        The Monument’s Conservation Management Plan is led by a team within the City Surveyor’s Department;

-        Negotiations for the space around the Monument are being led by the City’s Planning section;

-        Income generation opportunities are being actively sought, these include the conversion of a disused public convenience facility to a small retail unit that may be offered to a third party;

-        In the April-November 2024 period, the Monument welcomed just under 60K visitors (down from 70K during the same period in 2023) that is believed to be attributable to the tourism boost generated by the coronation of King Charles III in May 2023;

-        Admission income in that period is c. £238K which is in line with the 2023 period, attributable to variations in the composition of visitors;

-        Over 1200 school students visited the venue, and projected bookings are good; and

-        Closures due to staff shortages are down by 46% compared to the same 2023 period, though the closure rate is still approximately 10%.

Members noted the reduced closure rate and commented that there were still too many days lost due to staff shortages.

A Member asked whether there would be any interaction between the proposed opening of the new retail space as described and developer activity. The meeting noted that the disused convenience is reaching the end of its projected life cycle and by the time the development begins the space would cease to be used and probably be removed.