Council to deliberate on future governance of £14.5m heritage site

The council responsible for a £14.5 million heritage site is scheduled to deliberate on its future, specifically considering a possible transfer of its operation to a trust. Chester House Estate, which commenced operations in 2021, was acquired 17 years earlier by the former Northamptonshire County Council. North Northamptonshire Council has received a £210,000 grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund to investigate alternative governance structures for the site. Helen Howell, representing the authority, stated that the initiative aims at “securing, protecting and future-proofing” the location. The council indicated its intention to “explore how a trust would work” at the site, which features archaeological evidence of human presence spanning over 10,000 years, alongside Iron Age and Roman settlements. Should the council opt to proceed with the trust model, the allocated funds will be utilized “to implement the charitable trust and new governance.” The authority noted that a comparable operational framework is already established at Stanwick Lakes, a property it owns and leases to charitable trusts for management. Ms. Howell, who serves as the deputy leader of the Conservative-led council, described the site as “an excellent asset” for the region. She further commented: “The Chester House Estate has become the area’s go-to destination for family-friendly events and we hope this continues to be the case as the site moves forward.”