I would like to respond to Mr Chilvers’ letter (Gazette, May 28) on the subject of Jumbo and whether it is the best use of public money available to Colchester through the Towns Deal Fund.

Clearly each one of us will have different views on what should be the priorities in the borough, but Jumbo and the proposed allocation were included in the We Are Colchester bid for good reasons.

Jumbo has been abandoned and neglected for some 37 years now. It is a Grade II* heritage asset and as such it is a finite resource we should conserve.

It is the best example of a Victorian water tower in the country with its striking design and monumental structure.

As Mr Chilvers rightly states, it is held in great affection in Colchester and, so it should be, both because it dominates the skyline and because of its location.

We also applaud and will support an integrated enhancement of the Balkerne Gate area, but there is no point in leaving Jumbo to decay – it needs to be the heart of that solution.

The moneys allocated to Jumbo from the fund and the visible support of the borough will enable North Essex Heritage as a charity to unlock other funding from external heritage agencies for a project which will cost some £4m overall.

North Essex Heritage already has substantially advanced plans for its immediate repair, but also its conservation and renaissance on a financially sustainable basis.

READ MORE:

These plans have been developed with leading conservation architects, specialist engineering firms, design specialists, property experts and economic consultants.

As I have said previously, these will require updating and refreshing, but we will bring them back to the public to consult on further, and we have every confidence we will be able to demonstrate we will meet those tests.

Financial sustainability to us can only mean the scheme should avoid further recourse to public funds going forward.

We are ready to be tested on that and value for money overall at the point of that consultation.

Many of the other ideas Mr Chilvers mentions make good sense, but the proceeds of Colchester’s successful bid are only available to be spent on the nominated projects.

Jumbo should have its full allocation to ensure the maximum leverage can be achieved with other sources of funds.

Simon A D Hall MBE DL

Chairman

North Essex Heritage Trust