Repair vow over £8m bill to fix Byron's home

NOTTINGHAM City Council has promised a maintenance plan for Newstead Abbey after defects that would cost around £8m to repair were found.

- By JOSEPH CONNOLLY

A report to the council's executive board detailed a five-phase programme to fix Lord Byron’s “rapidly deteriorating” historic home.

Faced with a potential £8,498,886 bill, the council is seeking grant funding from various sources, for which applications have been submitted and could be confirmed by next spring.

Two sources, totalling around £1.6m, had already been announced earlier this year.

They are Arts Council England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

At the executive board meeting, councillors unanimously agreed to accept the funding along with five other recommendations in the report, including the approval of the urgent repair programme, to authorise the procurement of contracts to the work programme, to approve additional grant award applications and to consider holding earmarked reserves and donations received by the council to use for the programme in the future.