Selsey Pavilion Trust Awarded £300,000

The money will go towards buying and restoring the Selsey Pavilion, bringing it back to life for the benefit of the Selsey community.

Announced on the 15th of March 2023 as part of the Spring Budget, the Community Ownership Fund awarded £299,400 (£249,500 in capital funding and £49,900 in revenue funding) after a competitive bidding process last December.

The capital funding amounts to 50% of the building’s sale price, together with a contribution towards essential maintenance and repairs. The revenue funding will cover all costs incurred during the purchase process, surveys, and architectural planning for later phases.

It has been a long-held ambition to re-open the Selsey Pavilion for the benefit of the Selsey community. There are many successful examples across the country where this has happened, and now it is Selsey’s turn. The grant is a game changer taking the Trust’s ambition from dream to reality.

Chairman of the Selsey Pavilion Trust, Christian Skelton, expressed his sheer delight:

“After six years of working to secure the future of the Selsey Pavilion for the community, this news is just incredible. I nearly fell over after receiving the email confirming our successful application! Without the Community Ownership Fund, the Trust would have had little chance of purchasing the Pavilion, but following this announcement, we are considerably closer to realising our dream.”

“We have a lot more fundraising to do, but thanks to the Community Ownership Fund, this should be achievable. We will keep everyone posted on our progress through our website and social media.”

Gillian Keegan MP, Member of Parliament for Chichester, said:

“I was pleased to lend my full support to the Selsey Pavilion Trust’s bid for the Government’s Community Ownership Fund and I am absolutely delighted that they have been successful with an award of £299,400. I know how well loved the Pavilion is by the local community and I have full confidence in Trust’s ambitions for the site. I want to thank them and their supporters for their work on this bid and I look forward to seeing the Selsey Pavilion restored to its former glory”.