Meeting documents

SSDC Area North Committee
Wednesday, 25th March, 2015 2.00 pm

Meeting of Area North Committee, Wednesday 25th March 2015 2.00 pm (Item 182.)

Decision:

RESOLVED:

That the Area North Committee awarded a grant of £40,000 to Kingsbury Episcopi Amenities Committee, towards the overall cost of construction of a purpose-built community centre for the village, the grant to be allocated from the Area North capital programme (Local Priority Schemes), subject to SSDC standard conditions for community grants (appendix A) and the following special conditions:

1) Confirmation of the allocation of Big Lottery Reaching Communities Buildings Fund grant to the project.

2) The applicant will provide a final copy of their Business Plan including a financial operating plan for the first three years) as submitted to the Big Lottery.

3) The applicant will complete an access review of plans including outside and landscaped areas and consider their final designs in the light of the review. (SSDC to provide assistance with this.)

Reason:

To award a grant of £40,000 to Kingsbury Episcopi Amenities Committee, towards the overall cost of construction of a purpose-built community centre for the village.

(Voting: unanimous in favour)

Minutes:

The Neighbourhood Development Officer (North) with the aid of photographs, outlined the existing facilities at the recreation ground and the need for the new community centre, shop, café and sports changing facilities. She noted the fundraising which had already taken place and the many grant applications pending, including the stage 3 Lottery bid towards the £1m project. She introduced Mrs R Williams of the Kingsbury Episcopi Amenities Committee and Mrs P Warren of the Kingsbury Community Enterprise Ltd, who ran the community shop who were attending to speak in support of the application.

Mrs R Williams said she had been a member of the Kingsbury Episcopi Amenities Committee for 20 years and a new community hall had been their long term ambition. She noted the current state of the sports changing rooms at the recreation ground and said there was full community support for the new facilities.

Mrs P Warren of the Kingsbury Community Enterprise Ltd, said the village shop had celebrated its 3^rd year of operation recently and it was much appreciated by local people. She noted the preparation and professionalism in submitting the Lottery bid which had started in 2013 and all the necessary relevant information would be submitted by May 2015.

The Ward Member, Councillor Derek Yeomans, said that a group of local people had worked tirelessly to achieve Lottery funding and had demonstrated a level of expertise in reaching the stage 3 submission. He said it was vital the grant was awarded to support the community building.

During discussion, Members expressed their support for the project and in response to their questions it was confirmed that the project’s Business Plan had provision for a £70,000 3 year contingency fund and the project would be managed by a local quantative surveyor company. At the conclusion of the debate, Members unanimously supported the award of the grant to Kingsbury Episcopi Amenities Committee.