5.3.8 Operations, Management and Use

CONSERVATION FRAMEWORK

5.3.8 OPERATIONS, MANAGEMENT AND USE

See also:

5.3.4 Ruined cathedral

5.3.5 New cathedral

5.3.9 Visitor facilities and access

5.3.10 Interpretation

5.3.11 Environmental Sustainability

5.3.12 Landscape and setting

5.3.13 Research and understanding HERITAGE CONSIDERATIONS

Coventry Cathedral is primarily a place of worship, with reconciliation at the heart of its mission and ministry. This must be considered as the overarching function of the place, and a site-specific value of its significance. However, the practice of welcoming a wide variety of visitors and accommodating secular events should be recognised as one that locates the Cathedral at the heart of the community.

Successful and efficient operations, management and use of the Cathedral is vital to the preservation or enhancement of its significance. The governance structure of the Cathedral includes Chapter, the Cathedral Council, the College of Canons and a Senior Leadership Team, all of whom play an important role in overseeing the everyday operations of the Cathedral, as well as supporting its strategic direction. Each group should take some time to become familiar with the CMP and what it says about the management of this special place.

VULNERABILITIES AND CONFLICTS

The Cathedral has a robust governance and management structure with a will to create greater sustainability into the future. However, resources are now required in order to invest in the future. A lack of resourcing – both human and financial – can stifle or supress ambition and lead to decisions that are often short-term and reactive. From an organisational perspective there are issues around capacity and organisational readiness. There are also the underlying financial challenges and resource constraints of the Cathedral and a key objective of the masterplanning work is to help secure a more sustainable financial future for the long-term.71 The most immediate impact of limited financial resources is on the built fabric. The Cathedral is effectively supporting not one, but two Grade I listed structures, which places an increased burden on repair and maintenance budgets. Annual maintenance and renewal tasks require a defined budget and major repair works have a substantial impact on resources. Repairs – or even understanding the causes and need for repairs – is not a straightforward process and sources of major external funding will generally be needed. For example, the Chapel of Unity repair project cost £900,000 and took three years to complete. A similar exercise is now required for the Chapel of Industry and Christ the Servant. Funding applications, repair works and business planning all need specialist consultant input which involves up-front costs.

There is also a need to become more commercially astute as Coventry becomes City of Culture in 2021, with the potential to draw on bold and entrepreneurial ideas in retail and events to generate income and widen audiences.72 This does not need to be at odds with heritage significance, but can draw upon the Cathedral as a tool to support greater resilience and viability.

In terms of governance and succession planning, there is a need to fully catalogue and digitise the archives, the inventory requires updating and converting into a useable document, and a disposals/ retentions plan could be created to deal with, for example, unused modern office furniture, which is spread out across the undercroft. Back-of-house spaces are complex and not efficiently used and the lack of defined storage restricts the ability to delineate spaces for specific categories of objects. From a management perspective, this issue highlights the impact of small but cumulative actions or inactions that can inflict harm on the Cathedral as a whole.

71 A Different View, August 2019 72 Ibid

CONSERVATION FRAMEWORK

There are several issues with the Cathedral that impact on its ability to function efficiently and effectively:

• The nave was not designed to be a multi-functional space and yet it is used as one. It accommodates tours, worship, events and catering, often concurrently. This has resulted in ineffective partitioning, unsightly clutter and unfunctional spaces. This lack of flexibility is an issue.

• The archives are stored within the building and are potentially at risk of loss. Ideally these should be moved off-site to a location where access and safety could be guaranteed. Better connections to the Spence national archives would bring many benefits in terms of understanding and research.

• Events such as concerts in the ruins are popular and profileraising, yet they could conflict with the historic fabric and the sanctity of the space if not sensitively managed. Solutions are required that carefully balance conservation and use.

• Vehicular access along St Michael’s Avenue is inappropriate and detrimental to the experience of visitors. It would be desirable to rationalise deliveries to avoid this. The provision of a new lift should assist with this.

• More operational facilities for the nave could be moved to the southern undercroft. A new lift will make this more feasible.

• There are several different departments responsible for events in the nave. These roles can often overlap but equally there is no one group responsible for its upkeep or keeping it free from clutter.

• The bookshop in St Clare’s is highly visible but is not connected to the Cathedral offer. There is potential to better use this space to emphasise the mission of the Cathedral and generate income. POTENTIAL FOR CHANGE

The key to creating effective change will be to ensure that the wider Cathedral vision is clearly articulated and cascaded to all staff and volunteers at all levels. Communication and defining clear roles and responsibilities will be required to support a sustainable use now and in the future. Limited resources can be used in the most effective way by forging partnerships with other organisations to add value.

Income generation will be vital to sustaining the Cathedral and does not need to conflict with mission and ministry. Opportunities to increase donations and giving from visitors could include staging more events that capture broader audiences; increasing awareness of the repair needs; specific funding drives for individual projects; and partnering with wider initiatives in the city. The impact of, or need for, admission fees should be regularly reviewed.

There may be significant opportunities relating to management and use that the leadership teams could explore:

• Seek to capitalise on the major new investments in Coventry including improvements to transport infrastructure.

• Focus on City of Culture 2021 as a major partner and opportunity.

• Work with local partners and organisations such as the

Cathedral Quarter Alliance, the Herbert Art Gallery and

Museum, the university and other neighbours.

• Build capacity and grow an active, trained volunteer base to take pressure off existing staff. • Improve the retail and events offer to increase viability and audience-building across the Cathedral.

• Consider partnering with the National Archives or university to manage and fund an archivist.

CONSERVATION FRAMEWORK

MANAGEMENT POLICIES

POLICY 25: Regularly review communication channels, structure, roles & responsibilities.

POLICY 26: Commission a business plan for the Cathedral to focus on income generation and assess the functionality of spaces and where there may be capacity for change.

POLICY 27: Implement an events strategy that is sensitive to the Cathedral’s material heritage and core purpose. PRIORITY ACTIONS

Action Priority level Owner

Implement a plan to engage volunteers. B Cathedral Administrator

Devise a collections management plan including a retentions and disposals policy C Cathedral Administrator

Priority levels: A – within 6 months, B – within 1 year, C – within 2 years