GUILDFORD Cathedral yesterday announced a seven-year strategy
for fundraising and investment. The plans include the building of
houses near the cathedral.
The new Dean of Guildford, the Very Revd Dianna Gwilliams, said
that a "fundamental part" of the plan was to ensure a sustainable
financial future for the cathedral. The cathedral cost £1.17
million a year to operate, and currently ran at a deficit of around
£100,000 a year, she said.
The "Guildford 2020" proposals include plans to release an area
of land on Stag Hill, to develop social and private housing.
Incorporated in the plans is the replacement of the present Chapter
housing with a new Cathedral Close to accommodate clergy and staff.
New facilities generated by the sale of land are intended to
generate income through Christian education, music and tourism.
Dean Gwilliams said that the cathedral was "at a crucial point"
in its history, and that it had never enjoyed financial
security.
She said that the 2020 strategy "provides a framework for an
extensive programme of investment which will enable us to establish
a strong new physical link with the town, and realise the original
vision for the cathedral's surroundings, which included landscaped
grounds, housing and buildings for community use."
The cathedral Chapter and its advisers would be "engaging in
extensive public consultation". A competitive tender process is
under way.