Hardwick Community Centre Working Group (HCCWG) letter to the residents of Egremont Road

Dear Resident,

We have recently asked for pre-planning advice for the new proposed Community Centre to be situated on the site of the all-weather pitch, referred to in our documents as the MUGA (multi-use games area).

We are aware that many of you have already been involved in the planning of the building over the last four years via our public meetings, email feedback, and updates in the Hardwick Happenings and the village Facebook page as well as on other social media platforms. It is possible, however, that you could have missed some or all of these events. As you are the closest to the new development we feel we should make sure you know the full extent of the process so far, why the building is planned to be where it is and give you a chance to have your say before we apply for full planning approval.

Your opinions are important to us and we don’t want you to miss out on this last chance to influence our considerations.

Copies of the plans, elevations and landscaping are on the village website: www.hardwick-cambs.org.uk

We also have a recent copy of the pre-planning application advice which you can request as an emailed copy from the email address at the end of this letter.

To update you we have, below, outlined the history of the development so far to help you see where we are now and how important local input has been.

Why a community centre and who pays for it?

The new housing developments in the village have generated approximately a million pounds in s106 money, which is money from the developers that can be used by the village to add to existing amenities for the residents.

The school has previously been the hub of community activities but as numbers increase it requires the Community Rooms in the school to be used for classroom space, therefore, restricting available community space and what space the school does have is used predominantly by the school, leaving evening and weekend hiring only.

The village survey, carried out between 2016-2018, highlighted the need for daytime, evening and weekend spaces for community activities.

Who is leading the project?

The Hardwick Community Centre Working Group (HCCWG) was set up in 2017 at the suggestion of the developers and with the agreement of the District Council, Parish Council and Trustees.

The HCCWG brief was to look at the best use of the s106 money to provide a long-term sustainable facility for use by the whole village. The Parish Council is ultimately responsible for spending the s106 monies and has agreed to provide land on the recreation field for its construction and it will also be responsible for the building on completion.

The HCCWG held three public meetings to gather information to add to the village survey results, visited several other villages that had spent similar amounts on projects and liaised with the PC. A multi-use community centre with a main/sports hall, meeting rooms, library and cafe was the most supported use of the money.

Why is it to be sited on the MUGA?

Several sites were selected as possible and planning advice for each was given by the local planning department. All were on the recreation area as this land was already owned by the village and was central for access for all residents. Although a million pounds may sound substantial it would not fund the land purchase as well as a building of any significant size.

As some of you may know the scout hut site was the favoured site but after several meetings and much discussion, we could not agree on a compromise with the Scouts and Guides. The grass area in front of the MUGA was the planners’ next choice, with the MUGA site itself further down the options list.

In consultation with the village, it was felt that the area between Egremont Road and the pavilion would be unsuitable because of its impact on the residents along Egremont Road and the significant loss of protected trees.

Equally, we dismissed the grass area south of the MUGA for the same reason. We then explored the possibility of building around, and partially on top of, the existing pavilion, but this was an expensive option and would be very disruptive to the present functioning of the Sports and Social Club.

This left us with the MUGA area itself as the best option. This area is less used than was expected when it was built, is the least obtrusive of the available options in terms of distance from any residential housing and can work in conjunction with the Sports and Social Club both visually and logistically for car parking, access and security.

What do we need to do now to get planning permission?

One important factor, and the reason this has taken four years so far, is the value the HCCWG puts on having all residents on board with what we are trying to achieve for the village as a whole. Our open meetings and other consultations have helped a great deal in shaping the centre into what it is going to be and where it will be. Any feedback we have received, either positive or negative, has been discussed and individuals have had feedback on their queries. We now need your feedback.

This is your opportunity to have a final say about the building that will be constructed near you. When we have the last professional inputs into the pre-planning areas that need further explanation we will go to planning. There is still time for you to give input by emailing the HCCWG at,

alan.west10@btinternet.com

Finally

The HCCWG and Parish Council have worked dedicatedly to provide a new community centre fit for a village the size of Hardwick. This building puts new facilities, including a cafe, sports areas and library in the heart of the village, near present outdoor grass areas and near the children’s play area. It will add landscaping, security lighting and CCTV with added outdoor seating, bike parking and disabled parking and access, as well as seeking environmentally friendly heating, sound reduction and construction options. It truly could be an excellent, managed, local amenity suiting a wide range of village residents’ social needs.

We hope we can count on your support for this project.

Yours sincerely,

Alan West on behalf of HCCWG.