Oare Gunpowder Works Country Park Visitor Centre Management - Expressions of Interest for Visitor Ce...

Expressions of Interest for Visitor Centre and Catering

Swale Borough Council is seeking expressions of interest (EOI) from organisations / parties to operate, occupy, manage, and maintain the visitor centre and potential catering provision at Oare Gunpowder Works Country Park, off Bysing Wood Road, Faversham, Kent, ME13 7UD.
The whole site measures 7.2ha in total and currently consists of the Visitor Centre, toilets, car parking, woodland and open space interspersed with historic remains of the former gunpowder works, leats (small water canals), lake and picnic areas. https://oaregunpowderworks.co.uk/
The site is a scheduled ancient monument, part Site of Special Scientific Interest and well known for both its heritage and biodiversity value. It has consistently been awarded both Green Flag and Green Heritage award status and there are several external groups involved in providing volunteer maintenance and visitor activities. We have been welcoming visitors for nearly 20 years following creation of the park with a lottery grant and continue to maintain the site and facilities guided by our management plan.
We believe the site has the potential to be a bigger tourist and local resident destination with an all year round offering.
The Council is seeking an experienced operator who can add value to the sites offer to visitors and manage the visitor welcome and experience by operating the visitor centre and unlocking and locking the site at weekends and bank holidays, under an appropriate agreement commencing from 1 April 2025.

The Visitor Centre currently consists of:-
• Heritage Displays
• Environmental Displays
• Toilets
• Small Kitchen
The visitor centre is a single storey former cooperage adjacent to the car park and provides a good opportunity for a more commercially focused provider to deliver visitor welcome, interpretation and deliver a food & beverage provision for the country park. The internal part of the building currently mainly houses heritage and environmental displays, with education/volunteer meeting space.

Bidders are advised to inspect the building and carefully consider the cost of reconfiguring the interior, providing catering equipment and any necessary works or for providing an alternative permanent or portable additional external catering unit, before submitting their EOI, especially considering the sites Scheduled status. It is anticipated that Planning Permission and Scheduled Ancient monument Consent will be required for significant changes or new additions.

In addition to the key building, the Council is keen for the site to attract more visitors to the area, all year round, but in particular during the summer season. Innovative ideas are therefore sought on what additional offering could be created on the site.

As the site has multiple users, it is important your EOI shows how you will balance and work alongside these, attract new and return visitors. Groups include the Friends of Oare Gunpowder Works, volunteers, KCC Childrens Centre and a Home Education Group.

It is expected that the successful applicant will provide the chosen service and open and close the building to the public all year round and during that time will also open the adjacent, access, car park and public toilets.

It is anticipated that the Council will continue to provide basic grounds maintenance services to the whole site, while building maintenance of the visitor centre will be the responsibility of the tenant, potentially full repairing, depending upon the facilities use, length and nature of the agreement.

Please submit your EOI by 12 Noon 24th January 2025 to graemetuff@swale.gov.uk.

Please include the following information:

• Type of legal agreement preferred e.g., lease/licence agreement and the length proposed.
• Annual rent being offered to SBC and/or and other commercial offering e.g., profit share etc plus any considerations around phased payment against capital investment.
• Basic Business Plan that demonstrates that the proposal is viable and sustainable for the duration of the legal agreement.
• Your Business Plan should include the following:
• Proposed use of the building
• The type of any food & beverage to be offered.
• Proposals to maximise sustainability – reduce energy consumption, reduce waste, maximise recycling.
• Proposed opening dates and times (noting existing site opening & closing)
• Marketing proposals
• Financial projections demonstrating a strong viability, showing profit & loss forecasts and any surplus in addition to a cash-flow for at least 2 years,
• Details of how any repairs and improvements will be funded (e.g., grant funding, personal savings, temporary rent concession, etc).
• Evidence of previous experience/operations of a similar nature


Supporting Documents

• A site location plan
• A Visitor Centre layout plan
• The current site visitor leaflet
Should no viable business plan be submitted, the Council will consider alternative uses for the building.
Please email graemetuff@swale.gov.uk for further information or to arrange to view the premises.
It is proposed that the building will be made available to view internally from 9th December 2024 by appointment.