The council will not sell or lease the Sun Pavilion. On 14 October it chose to tender a new five-year operator contract, with an option to extend by five.
North Yorkshire Council will not sell or lease the Sun Pavilion in Harrogate’s Valley Gardens. It will keep the venue and find a new operator through a competitive tender.
Updated 19 October: the decision was taken on 14 October. Details below.
What was decided
The Corporate Director of Community Development approved the decision on 14 October. The decision record says the council will run “a competitive procurement process to appoint an external contractor” for the venue.
The new contract will cover:
- the soft facilities management
- the bar
- catering
It will be a concession, as now, for five years with an option to extend by a further five years. The current contract expires on 31 May 2027.
The record lists four options that were considered and turned down:
- an alternative use for the building
- running it in-house
- a freehold sale
- a lease
The council gave its reasons. The concession model “has historically delivered positive outcomes for the Council”, keeping the venue “well-utilised while generating a strong financial return”. It said the model also gives “the most effective means of maintaining continuity of service for customers with bookings already secured for 2027”.
The decision was not subject to call-in. The officers’ report is listed on the record but has not been published, so the figures behind the choice, including what the current operator pays, are not public.
Before the decision
The contract expires on 31 May 2027. The council first gave notice of the decision on its forward plan.
What the council has said
The notice was first published on 14 September. It describes the Sun Pavilion as a Grade II listed building that “primarily operates as a venue for weddings, private functions and small corporate events with a capacity of up to 120 guests”.
The venue is run under a concession. The council receives a percentage of the operator’s sales, with a guaranteed minimum fee. The notice says the contract’s end “provides an opportunity to review existing arrangements, assess available options and recommend a preferred way forward”.
The key points:
- Who decides: the Corporate Director of Community Development, not a committee.
- Lead councillor: the Executive Member for Culture, Arts and Housing.
- Why it is a key decision: the council has classed it as one involving spending or savings of more than £1 million.
- Who was consulted: the executive member and council officers in finance, legal, climate, equalities, estates and property, and at the Harrogate Convention Centre. The notice lists no public consultation.
The report itself is not yet published. The notice does not say which options are on the table or what officers will recommend. The contact named on it is an executive officer for commercial development at the Harrogate Convention Centre, the council-owned venue that already hosts much of the town’s events trade.
Who runs it now
The venue’s own website is published by Legends Global, which trades as Legends Global Services Limited, registered office Manchester Arena. Its events team handles weddings, Christmas parties and private hire at the pavilion.
Why the building matters
The Sun Pavilion and the Sun Colonnade were listed at Grade II on 13 May 2022. Historic England’s list entry sets out their history:
- A covered walk between the Royal Bath Hospital and the Royal Pump Room was first proposed in 1869, but money delayed it.
- The pavilion and colonnade were designed by the Borough Surveyor, Leonard Clarke, as part of a £60,000 spa scheme.
- Lord Horder, physician to a series of monarchs, opened them on 17 June 1933. Historic England calls the colonnade the first of its type built in Britain, designed to trap ultra-violet rays.
- By the 1980s both had fallen into disrepair. The Friends of Valley Gardens was formed in 1986 and led a restoration campaign, part funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
- Queen Elizabeth II reopened the pavilion in 1998.
The building has had money spent on it more recently too. In October 2021 the old Harrogate Borough Council awarded Claywood Construction £270,846.31 to rebuild the floor with underfloor heating, replace the heating system and refurbish the toilets. The work was scheduled to run from 18 October 2021 to 18 February 2022.
What it means for you
- Weddings and bookings already made: the current contract runs to 31 May 2027. The council says it chose the concession route partly to keep continuity for bookings already made for 2027. If you have a booking after May 2027, ask the venue how the change of contract affects it.
- Valley Gardens itself is not part of this decision. The notice covers the operation of the venue only.
- The building stays in council hands. A sale and a lease were both considered and rejected.
- Watch for the tender. The contract will be advertised publicly. We will report who wins it.
- Questions about the decision go to your county councillor or the executive member for culture, arts and housing. The Sun Pavilion sits in the Valley Gardens and Central Harrogate division.
For what else is on in the gardens and the town, see our things to do in Harrogate page.