Ely Maltings Set For Council Review
By elypeople | Tuesday, November 08, 2011, 11:17
The Maltings is set to face a review, organised by East Cambridgeshire District Council. The Ely venue has been much criticised by local people since its revamp in 2009, with many residents of the city unhappy about changes made to the restaurant and its closure through the winter months.
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Ely Maltings - set for a review by East Cambridgeshire District Council
The Maltings was built in 1868 as the brewery of Ebenezer William Harlock and was subsequently sold for just £100 in 1968 to the people of Ely for use as a community facility. It was renovated in 2008 and the Council awarded the contract to manage the venue to Leiths (Compass Group) in 2009, with the ability to offer restaurant, conference and entertainment facilities among the key bidding criteria.
The much supported local bid by arts organisation ADEC was rejected at the first stage, with their lack of a catering partner cited by then Council Leader Fred Brown as one of the main reasons. However, since Leiths were awarded the contract, the restaurant has not been used to its full potential. Although it was claimed that the 120-seat restaurant would be open "from 10:00 until 21:30 daily", it has often remained unused through the winter months. Indeed, The Maltings website currently says the restaurant is "now closed for the Autumn and Winter months, re-opening in the Spring".
"It used to be somewhere you could pop in for a coffee, a meal or a pint if you fancied," said one local reviewer on the TripAdvisor website. "Now it seems to be shut most of the time."
The contract with Leiths is due to be reviewed in January 2013 and the Council has decided to set up a cross party review to look at making the most out of the building. The review will consult with the Compass Group, local organisations and others to ensure the facility is able to live up to its reputation as the heart of the city's historic riverside.
"The Maltings is a wonderful building which over the decades has become a key part of Ely's Riverside," says Councillor Richard Hobbs. "In order to ensure it continues to meet the needs of the city and the district we have agreed to look at how to make the most of this facility in the future.
"Our agreement with the Compass Group will be reviewed in 2013 so we feel this is the right time to start looking at options rather than leave it to the final few months of contract," he continues. "We will be working closely with all interested parties over the next few weeks and months to ensure The Maltings remains a building and a facility we can all be proud of."
Comments
Well, I suppose this is some kind of progress...the council know they made a big mistake with Compass, and should probably be checking those contracts to see if there is some kind of early get out clause as they haven't come up with the goods. And it seems Compass don't care very much if they make a profit or not, choosing to stick their heads in the sand when things are tricky rather than coming up with positive solutions.
Outsourcing the management of such an amazing building to a corporate entitiy like Compass was never going to work: it needs local management, by people with a bit of vision. Let ADEC get at it. They certainly couldn't do a worse job than Compass.
By sushar at 13:08 on 08/11/11
ReportLet ADEC have the Maltings. It really is a no-brainer. ADEC has its faults, for sure, but the organisation has vision and understanding of what is needed, and the backing of local people.
If the 'catering partner' is the real stumbling block, give them time to find one instead of knocking them down at the first hurdle. I am pretty sure they could find the right team, given the chance: there must be hundreds of young chefs out there looking to make their mark. The restaurant has space for both a pricier a la carte offering and a more relaxed coffee/wine bar/ bistro area - after all that money spent on a refurb, let's make use of it.
Or, failing that, get in a concession - lord knows, Ely has attracted enough of those after the last couple of years in the form of coffee chains and restaurants, and can't believe that had they been given the opportunity to take the space in a prime location like the Maltings that they would have turned it down!
The Compass focus seems to be on conferences and weddings - moneyspinners, no doubt, if managed correctly. But limiting the building to those means missing out on other great opportunities. A wedding once a week, max, and maybe the odd conference, and then the rest of the time sitting empty? Where is the financial sense in that?
It is a shame the council can't get out of the contract with the Compass Group sooner: surely if there must be a get out clause in there somewhere, especially if they are not keeping to their end of the bargain? In the workplace, someone not doing their job properly would be fired, contract or no contract!
Still, at least there is some progress - the council has listened (for once). Of course, it remains to be seen whether anything will actually be achieved. I just wish I had pots of money and could take over the running of the building and put a good, strong, forward thinking team in there: I certainly couldn't do a worse job than this bunch
By sushar at 12:53 on 08/11/11
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