It’s being reported there’s been an overwhelmingly positive response so far to plans by Ruddington Parish Council (RPC) for its proposed community facilities behind The Green. Its decision to demolish the existing building and build a brand new community centre for our village followed an online survey the Council carried out late last year.
Nevertheless, RPC had hoped that the present premises (opened only in 1983) might be brought back into use temporarily whilst funding was sought for the new building. Unfortunately, it reports this has not proved to be a viable option. This is largely because the property had been left unoccupied for a number of years before it was released for sale, during which time it slipped into serious disrepair and suffered vandalism. This meant it would need a complete refurbishment just to bring it up to an acceptable and safe standard for use.
Now the first two face-to-face public consultations in St Peter’s Rooms on its possible replacement have taken place. Some of the designs and proposals from this public exhibition have also now been made available online so that villagers have the option of leaving their comments there, instead. These include artist’s impressions of how the proposed building might look (top and bottom images).
One of the display boards (pictured below) gives a useful potted history of the current building and the proposed plans for the future use of the site.
Parish Councillor Chloe Lewington, who is on the working party for this project, explains: ”We have designed this consultation to provide residents with a full explanation of the history of the existing site, the reasons for progressing with a new community centre building and a detailed explanation of the proposed site plans. We are keen to gain feedback from residents, both positive and constructive, for us to take into consideration in the next stages.”
The designs have been drawn up by Architectural Advisor Chris Marriott, in conjunction with RPC. “The plans have taken into consideration the existing building, public feedback, existing village venues and the growing requirements of the village” says Chloe. “An initial consultation was carried out with the residents and the RVCP and a list was made of current hirers of Parish Council facilities. Using these responses, the design you see today was drawn up. This consultation is the next step in the process. Feedback will be correlated to ensure the needs of the community are met, as closely as possible, in the final design for the new community centre.”
Chris says the design concept for the new building emerged from a rural aesthetic – reflecting the agricultural beginnings of a developing Ruddington Village heritage. The building structure will be eco-friendly, most probably with a timber frame. It will have solar panels and large windows to make the most use of natural light. The interior design will provide a flexible mixed use space to accommodate the many varied activities they hope to attract. It would be on two floors, rather than single storey, as shown below.
It’s hoped that removing the present boundary wall and situating the new building facing The Green, will add to the feeling of it being a community facility, welcoming to everyone. However, some residents have questioned whether Ruddington actually needs a new Community Centre? It’s been pointed out there are already other, similar, venues in our village which are perhaps suitable for this purpose – including some offering meeting and conference facilities.
Councillor Holly Law responds: “We don’t currently own St Peter’s Rooms, and our lease runs out within the next 6 years. It is regularly fully booked and we’re having to turn people away. The village hall layout is inflexible for multiple bookings at the same time. The current facilities including those listed above, will not be fit for purpose for the growing village in years to come, and also for the key themes that emerged from the public consultation we did in 2020.”
So how much is it likely to cost? “If we are looking at the design today, we have been told up to £2m” says Holly. “This may change depending on the finalisation of the design or whether we take a modular approach. The price really depends on what comes out of these public consultations, and what the community tell us they do or don’t want from the design. We know that with all the new housing developments that Ruddington is a growing village, so we want to build a community centre that will cater for the needs of that growing village. We have sought professional advice and opinion from outside bodies including RCAN and, by attending grant writing workshops, we have been reassured what we are trying to do is achievable.”
David Hadley is among those who believe the whole site should be just given over to car parking instead. He comments: “Car parking for shoppers and workers is needed more than another hall. I think spending money on a swanky new office for Parish Councillors is a big waste of public funds.”
However, Holly points out: “This did not come out as a key theme from the consultation we did in 2020 and, as part of this recent consultation, we have asked that if we were turn the site into parking in the interim period, would it be used? So far, the majority of respondents (70%) have said they would not use it and another 15.6% have said they don’t want it to be used as a car park at all. 86% of respondents so far have said they like the new plans for a community centre, and 98.5% said they would attend groups or classes there. So, at the moment, I think it is only a very small minority that want the space to be used as parking.”
Other public comments received so far include…
“Lots of variety in facilities available. I like the aesthetic, too.”
“Love the community garden and hall space.”
There are still two further chances to go along to St Peter’s Rooms and chat with those responsible for the plans and add your opinions to the mix. These are on Friday 20th August from 4.00pm until 7.00pm and on Saturday 21st August from 9.00am to 1.00pm. All villagers are welcome. Otherwise, you can find the online consultation >>HERE<<.
RPC – to whom RUDDINGTON.info is grateful for supplying the featured images – says: ”Ruddington Parish Council would like to thank everyone for their support for this project which will be a great asset for the village.”
