Eynsham Parish Council News

New Community Centre / Village Hall 1 Feb 1998 Extract from the Eynsham Echo, Issue 50, February 1998

Extract from the Eynsham Echo, Issue 50, February 1998

The Parish Council has decided to build the largest village hall complex that it can on the land that it now owns, but leaving the way for a new Scout Hut in the future, if the Scouts can raise the necessary capital. It greatly regrets that no Lottery Grant was made available to Eynsham to have a fully planned comprehensive new development on the whole of the Back Lane site. The Parish Council was offered reimbursement for a second hand replacement but but has not been able to locate anything suitable; it also feels that it should use money raised from residents in the Parish Council precept for the new Village Hall itself and to do otherwise would need special Government permission. The attached sheet gives fuller details of the proposals, which have also been informally discussed with West Oxon District Council officers. Would you please study these carefully, and also fill in the questionnaire? Larger displays will be in the Library and Chancellors Estate Agents, Mill Street. The estimated cost is £400,000.


LATEST PLANS FOR NEW COMMUNITY CENTRE/ VILLAGE HALL

For 20 years discussions have been held about a new Community Centre. The Parish Council has tried hard to get a fully comprehensive development for the Back Lane site, and has held discussions with the Royal British Legion and the Scouts. It tried three times to get a Millennium Grant, but was unfortunately unsuccessful. It now wishes to use the money which has been raised by Precept over the past six:years to get the best building it can on the land the PC now owns.

The estimated cost is £400,000, and with an expected grant of £50,000 from WODC plus some further fund-raising (we shall ask local industry if they can please help) we hope that we will be able to afford this with another two years' precepts. Extras will have to have further fund raising, which we hope will be aided by those who hope to use the building.

We would very much like to have the building erected in 1999, in time for the new Millennium. These draft plans which have been drawn by one of the two architects on our committee - Mr. Roy Wilkinson - are being recommended to you both by the Community Services Committee and the PC - they have also been seen informally by WODC planning officers.

As is shown on the plan attached there are two halls - a larger which can accommodate a badminton court or about 200 people and a smaller one for about 50 to 60 people. Both can be combined by opening a folding partition. The name applied to the small hall - British Legion / Children's Hall - is in recognition of the Old Youth Club Charity and the RBL, which have sold their land to the PC, but it will be available for use by other organisations as well. The highest part will be the main hall.

Regarding the Scouts, the plan is that if they are able to produce sufficient funds in the future to replace their present hut, then sufficient space will be available for this (see 'Phase 2' in Library and Chancellors displays). We greatly regret that a suitable used replacement hut has not been found.

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