Plans to restore Rose Garden Café progress

Rose Garden Cafe

Plans have moved forward for the restoration and refurbishment of Rose Garden Café, including the appointment of an independent chair for the Rose Garden Café Partnership. 

Steps have also been taken to begin the physical restoration of the building, with the imminent appointment of structural engineers to start working on a timeline to restructure the front wall of the café.

Progress has also been made on the public consultation, allowing local residents to have their say on the restoration, which will go live in the coming weeks.

Following a Charity Sub-committee in October 2023, the decision was taken to work in partnership with stakeholders to restore and refurbish the café.

Since then, Friends of Graves Park, Save the Rose Garden Café Campaign and Sheffield City Council have been working together to create a framework for the public consultation on the café, establishing funding sources to pay for the building restoration and refurbishment works, and to agree on a plan for public communication.

The Council’s Charity Trustee Sub-Committee which oversees this work, has expressed its determination to see these plans develop ‘at pace’ and the partnership is now making significant headway.

Cllr Ian Auckland, Chair of the Charity Sub-committee at Sheffield City Council, said:

“Rose Garden Café is so important to the local community and to Sheffield’s local heritage.

“I am delighted to see that we are making progress to restore this building, including steps being taken to develop structural designs for the front wall and significantly a new chair for the Partnership.

“I’d like to welcome our new chair to the Partnership and am confident that the future of this beloved café is in great hands. 

“I look forward to seeing this work progress as quickly as possible.”

One of the initial tasks for the Partnership was to appoint a chair, with experienced strategic leader, Chris Hallam, now being announced to take on the role.

Chris has an impressive track-record in management and leadership with community-based regeneration schemes and is currently the part-time Chief Executive of the High Green Development Trust.

He is also the current Chair of Derbyshire Community Transport and a voluntary non-executive director of the Elveston Castle Trust in Derbyshire – an independent charity working on the regeneration of a major Derbyshire visitor attraction.

His role as Chair will be to continue building the trust between partners and to ensure that everyone is working together effectively and urgently towards the agreed strategic goals.

Chris Hallam, Chair of the Rose Garden Café Partnership, said:

“I am excited and proud to have been selected as the independent chair for the Rose Garden Cafe Partnership. 

“I am looking forward to working with such a passionate group of individuals and helping to make a difference to this much loved Sheffield asset.”

Read the full report to committee, here.

For more information on the Rose Garden Café Partnership, please see their webpage.