VILLAGE HALL NEWS SHEET March 2011  

Welcome to the latest update on where we are with the Village Hall.
A lot has happened since our last information sheet and we are now in a position to say that
"The new hall WILL be built"

A Genuine Partnership

The Hall is a partnership project between the Parish Council and the two village charities,
The Hickling Playing Field and Recreation Ground Charity and the Phoenix Trust.
The Parish Council, who having been looking at a new village hall for many years, led the project to start with and undertook the Parish Plan and subsequent survey which indicated a clear need and desire for the new hall.

The Parish Council has the power to provide or contribute to a village hall or similar facility and the charities were specifically formed to provide community recreation for local people.

Because it is being built on the Charity's land, the new Hall will be an asset of the Playing Field Charity, which is now leading the project and will also have overall management of the facility. The Parish Council and the Charity have signed a legally binding agreement which sees the Parish Council providing 40% of the build cost. In return, the Charity will provide a facility which meets many of the recreational needs of the community.

The Phoenix Trust is also making a significant financial contribution to the new Hall, again via a legally binding agreement. This will allow the provision of a room for a range of community use, including the return of the snooker tables from the old community hall in Stubb Road.

The Parish Council is no longer the Corporate Trustee of the Charity as, having listened to the views of some residents, the Playing Field Charity has now moved to have a completely independent Board of Trustees in its own right.

Construction Contract - Tendered, Agreed and Let

We have formally tendered the building contract and, with our quantity surveyors, have finished our post-tender negotiations to get the build cost down as far as possible. We now have a fixed, maximum price to build the Hall of £770,000 and the contract has been awarded to PJ Spillings Ltd.

They will start on site during April and the new hall will be open in November this year. Within the construction project, we have made allowances for some final design points and utility connections which may still bring the price down or allow us to further improve the quality of the new Hall.

Finance Issues

Fundraising

As you are aware, a small team of people have been working very hard to raise the money to build our new hall. They have done incredibly well; they have applied to over 30 bodies and have now raised a total of £140,000 through grants, personal and commercial donations.
Many of these grants are time limited which means that it is effectively "now or never" to build the new Hall.

The project did not qualify for Big Lottery Community Buildings funding and a significant section of the community did not want a small wind turbine built, which would have given us a larger income going forward, therefore providing more funding. Together, these two factors mean that, whilst our shortfall was within the anticipated budget, it was bigger than we hoped.

This fundraising will obviously continue but will now be focused on opening the hall on the best financial footing possible. We will also now be involving many more people in this effort, especially as some of the available funding will be available for specific activities, which individuals have offered to run.

Public Works Loan

The Parish Council agreed in March 2010 that it would fund a reasonable and affordable shortfall in project costs. This was not open ended and was subject to further approval.

At its meeting in August 2010 the Parish Council believed the maximum shortfall would be £190,000. This was because, at that time, the wind turbine and Lottery Funding were still not confirmed. The Parish Council agreed the principle of taking out a loan to cover such a shortfall with the Public Works Loan Board, which offers local Councils very low interest rate, fixed term loans. In March this year, with construction costs known, neither the Lottery nor Wind Turbine available, and all the likely capital grant funding applied for, the Parish Council believed that the shortfall was reasonable and resolved to draw down the Public Works Loan, which has now been completed.
A lot has been said elsewhere about the cost of this loan, suggesting that it will cost every household several hundred pounds on the precept. The loan of £190,000, fixed at 5.29% for 35 years will indeed cost a total of £419,195.
This equates to £11,977 per year for the village, or £29 per household per year, or 55p per week per household to have this facility available for the village. We believe this represents very good value in itself. However, the reality is even better, as the loan will actually be repaid from the surplus the Parish Council makes every year from the Staithe and its bottle banks, whilst still leaving enough for maintenance of the staithe.

Capital Budget
To give you a clear picture of how the project budget looks in general terms, we have set out below the main financial headings.

The New Village Hall - What will it provide?

The New Hall will provide an excellent community facility, and its upkeep and maintenance of the grounds will be the responsibility of the Hickling Playing Field Charity, so it will not cost the Parish Precept anything to run. However, it will provide us all with a community facility that most of the Village are looking forward to using in one way or another.
We have listened to the outcomes of our surveys and consultations, and know that what we are planning reflects the needs and wishes of the majority of our community.

So what can the Hall can be used for?
The list of recreational activities is endless but here are a few from the list of what people have said they want or will run:

The Parish Council has a responsibility to plan for the future. We know that without such a resource, our community could face further decline in terms of community recreation and social cohesion. This is not something that any of us would want.

Where to from here?
As the construction contract is moving forward, our attention will now be focused on maximising use of the facility and on further fundraising. We have committed to holding an open event for those who want to help and this will now happen on Saturday 16 April 10am-12 at the Methodist Chapel School Room. In the meantime, if you wish to get involved in any way, please let Shirley Sainsbury know by email: shirley@briarleylodge.co.uk or phone 598882. If you have already volunteered, she will be in touch with you!
We already have clear intention from a number of clubs and groups to use the hall, and even a 40th birthday party booked in December! Work is underway on an active leisure (note - not just sport) development plan with Active Norfolk and Sport England.
We hope that this sheet gives you the information that you need, and we look forward to seeing the new hall finally finished and serving our community for many years to come.
Finally, we are aware that a small minority have been against this project from the start; that is their right. However, some of what has been said, especially anonymously, is certainly not good for any kind of community spirit. We would therefore hope that, now the Hall is being built, those who are against it will let the majority who want it, get on with it. Ideally though, everyone will get behind it and help in its success.