Highcliffe Castle showing good returns on investment

Christchurch Council’s investment in Highcliffe Castle

is paying dividends, according to a report presented to the Council’s Scrutiny

Committee.

General Manager of the Castle, David Hopkins, told

members of the committee that, in the year 2009/10, the Castle had an income of

more than  £312,000 and had performed

better than the predicted budget by more than £52,000.

In 2007 the Council approved a loan to the Castle of

£1.2 million for further restoration work, including the refurbishment of the

State Dining Room, based on the fact that this would allow the Castle to

perform more weddings and hold receptions, meetings and conferences.

The loan is being paid back over a period of 30 years but

already the Castle’s Visitor Centre is showing excellent results, with paid

admissions up by more than 30 per cent over the past two years and the number

of guided tours almost trebling over the same period.

The Castle is also the most popular venue in Dorset

for weddings with more than 1300 ceremonies being held there since the first

wedding in 1999. 150 ceremonies were carried out in 2009/10 and it is

anticipated that this figure will be exceeded in 2010/11, with some dates still

available.

Michael Turvey, Chief Executive of Christchurch

Council, said: “The Castle is being run as a business with clear targets and

monitoring of its performance. I’m delighted to see that it has exceeded

expectations. Although the annual accounts still show a deficit, it is now a

small one and, without the trading results, the Castle would be costing us a

lot more.

“We also estimate that the Castle brings economic

benefits to the local economy of around £10 million a year in terms of hotel

bookings, receptions and other related services.

“The staff at the Castle are doing an excellent job

and are to be congratulated on the results they have achieved.”

On a recent visit to the Castle, Mr Turvey met

visitors from Cheshire, Carolyn and John Poole, who said: “It’s very good to

hear of a council having done a building up – it’s usually left to the National

Trust. The Castle looks very impressive.”