The owners of the former university campus in Trent Park have published a response to the online petition which calls for the creation of a museum in the mansion and continued public access to the grounds of the former campus.
The statement issued by the Berkeley Group can be read below. It includes assurances that there will be a museum and that public access will be available not just to the grounds, but also - for the first time - to part of the mansion. However, the statement does not appear to go any further than announcements made before the new petition was launched and will probably disappoint those campaigners who seek a museum both on the ground floor and in the basement.
The last of three public consultation events will be held on Friday 13th-Sunday 15th May 2016, at the West Lodge Park Hotel, 4 Ferny Hill, Hadley Wood, EN4 0PZ.
- Friday 13th May: 2pm- 7pm (John Evelyn Suite)
- Saturday 14th May: 10am-3pm (Lancaster Suite)
- Sunday 15th May: 10am - 3pm (John Evelyn Suite)
The presentation boards for this consultation can be viewed online.
Berkeley Group
22 Apr 2016 — STATEMENT IN RESPONSE TO CHANGE.ORG PETITION APRIL 22, 2016
Thank you for signing the Change.org petition “Save Trent Park – The Campaign to Protect and Enhance Our Nation’s Heritage”.
Berkeley would like to make the following statements to clarify our position in response to the petition and in line with the public consultation which has been undertaken to date.
Firstly, and most importantly, we would like to reiterate that the protection and enhancement of the listed buildings and landscape features which make Trent Park such a unique and valuable asset to Enfield (and indeed to the nation more widely) has been a priority since we acquired the site in September 2015.
Secondly, we are pleased to confirm that Berkeley fully supports the proposal to provide some form of museum within the Mansion House and provide public access to at least part of the House for the first time in its history as part of its application. This has already been the subject of substantial discussions with Enfield Council, as well as community representatives and over 700 people who have attended the six days of public consultation events held to date. The exact form which the museum takes will be subject to further discussions as to how it will be funded, who will manage it and many other logistical considerations.
Berkeley is also fully committed to retaining public access to the grounds.
Berkeley fully shares the view of those who have signed the petition that the sensitive restoration of all listed buildings and key heritage assets, as well as the high-quality, indeed exemplary, design of the new buildings is fundamental to the future success of the development. With this in mind, we have appointed prestigious architects to carry out historical reviews of the buildings and develop designs which meet the exacting standards required by the site.
In addition, we have also appointed specialist landscape consultants Murdoch Wickham to undertake the restoration of the historic grounds. Murdoch Wickham oversaw the restoration of Humphrey Repton’s Repton Park, making them uniquely qualified to undertake the detailed work required at Trent Park.
For more information about the project team please visit www.trent-park.com/media/pdf/m/d/FINAL_consultation_boards_v_low_res.pdf or email Nick Stanton
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