Improving our Village Hall
Overview
Over 100 years ago our predecessors in Lorton showed great insight in acquiring a disused malting barn and turning it into a village hall. Their insight and determination has underpinned the social fabric of Lorton. But what of the next century?
Our society is changing at speed and our facilities need to ensure that we can keep pace. Technology is playing a greater role in everyone’s lives with video streaming commonplace. Accessibility for the old and young has a larger priority. Hybrid working is enabling young professionals to return to rural communities. All these new challenges need to be teamed with traditional needs: A warm and pleasant environment for 100 people to meet; sports facilities; and room for a great party!
As a Committee we are looking ahead to how we meet these demands. Can it be done in a barn built in 1828 or should we be looking at moving to new facilities? Before we decide on the best building we need to understand what the village, and users of the hall, want. We will do this through extensive consultation and research within the community. We want your ideas and opinions. We will look at other village halls and see how they operate – are there lessons we can learn?
We will involve the village through meetings, feedback sessions, questionnaires, and face to face chat. And report back on progress through leaflets, The Link and the Village Hall website.
Community Feedback - February 27th 2023
At the end of February, 59 members of the community attended either one of two sessions to hear about the approach the Yew Tree Hall Committee is taking to its next phase of improvement of village hall facilities. After a short presentation and Q&A, we broke for refreshments and then held a feedback session where everyone was invited to air their opinions. To give some structure to the feedback we posed a series of questions with the answers written on a board or post it note. Below is a summary of those views plus a copy of the comments received by the end of the meeting.
We have published the raw data so you can make your own mind up. We continue to receive opinion from users and the village and have incorporated some views given verbally by neighbours unable to attend the meeting.
How could activities, events and facilities in the hall be developed or improved. Which do you value?
There was great support for the programme of events held in the hall with film nights, social events, coffee mornings and table tennis getting a special and regular mention. You like having hall that can take 80 people or more for an event and the interaction that comes from the community activities. You would like it to be more comfortable - warmer and with some comfy sofas and chairs for more informal gatherings. You would like to see more provision for toddlers and children. There were several suggestions of using ground and water source heat pumps as a source of heating. As well as the large hall, you want smaller spaces where space can be devoted to craft activities and perhaps a gym. In an era of hybrid and home working, you suggested providing meeting rooms and areas where home workers can collaborate with others during the working day.
What are the disadvantages of the hall. How could it be improved. What do you like and works well?
So many of you liked the character and heritage of our hall and its location central to High Lorton in such a scenic spot next to the Whitbeck. Equally many of you felt that the hall was no longer fit for purpose and wanted something better. Safety was a concern with access to and from the hall directly on to the road. The lack of parking was raised and not just for cars but also for bikes and buggies. Poor accessibility for the disabled, elderly, mums with small kids and buggies was raised by many and not just to enter and exit the building but accessing the upstairs toilets too. The long and narrow shape was felt to work well for some activities and compromise others as was a lack of a stage and storage area. A bigger kitchen would be an improvement as would a steady and comfortable temperature within the hall during activities/events.
What benefits could a new development bring?
There were so many opinions provoked by our suggested options for the future. Many of you would like to see the Yew Tree Hall improved and retained. Others see the benefits of a new build, especially where it can support the other community institutions such as the church and the school. Many of you were concerned about the environmental impact of any changes. Also funding. Some of you just want us to get on with it.
Learn more about the history of the hall, how it was bought by the village and our plans for improvement.
Common Questions and Answers
What is wrong with the existing hall and why do we need to change it?
The Yew Tree Hall has served Lorton well as a community space for over 100 years. However, it has some acknowledged problems. The three most important ones are: 1) a lack of accessibility 2) poor heating and ventilation 3) limited parking reduces capacity for use and can cause traffic issues during large events.
The existing building and facilities are in very good condition, but we need ideas for further improvement for the future.
Can the current hall be improved?
Yes, we believe that there is scope to improve the current building. This could involve reducing the level of the main floor, installing a lift, putting in a second floor, extending the building, insulating the building and improving the heating and ventilation. The parking problem would need to be solved independently.
Such a scheme would be subject to the views of the LDNP (planning permission), English Heritage (G2 Listing), Highways (traffic and parking) and the Environment Agency (Whitbeck) and this may restrict what we are able to do. However, until we develop and propose a scheme we won’t know.
Creating such an improvement to the existing hall is at the heart of our scheme.
Do I get a say in any of these discussions?
We want you to be involved in our scheme in three important ways:
· Hear: We want you to hear about our plans through regular public meetings, leaflets and communication online and in publicans such as The Link. You get to understand the issues and the challenges faced by individual schemes.
· Voice: We want you to voice your opinion. Tell us what you want from your community hub. Give your opinion about the scheme(s). Share your thoughts and ideas.
· Decide: We want the proposals to be supported by the village. We understand that not everyone will agree, but it is important that any eventual proposals are strongly supported.
What have previous Committees done in the past?
Since it was purchased by the village in 1919 successive management committees have successfully improved and adapted the building in order to bring it in line with user expectations. This started with the installation of toilets for the ladies in the 1920’s, a kitchen, a new wooden floor to replace the concrete floor in 1994 and a whole programme of toilet, kitchen and fabric improvements in recent years.
Most recently a scheme was proposed (2008) to install a disabled lift. This was not thought to work very well within the building. A subsequent scheme in 2014 to move the village hall into the church was proposed but was not popular during consultation.
Then why are you considering building a new hall?
Improving the YTH could cost an estimated £500,000. Typically, a new hall costs about £750,000 or more. A purpose built building (not a converted building) could provide much better facilities for the village and an increase in use. We are exploring all the options.
How do you decide which scheme is best?
We start the process by thinking about what the village community needs and develop our scheme(s) to meet those needs. Any scheme would then be evaluated against criteria such as: which serves the community best?; how much does it cost?; which has the best chance of success?; which is the least disruptive?
If you build a new hall what happens to the Yew Tree Hall?
A new purpose would be found for the Hall. As part of the scheme we would look for new ideas for its use. Some villagers have already suggested some great ideas. However, it is premature to consider any of these at this stage in the process.
I’ve heard that lots of village halls and churches are being combined as a way to save both organisations money. Is this something you will look at again?
We are at the beginning of a new review to improve village hall facilities and so no idea is ruled out at this stage. However, given the public opposition to the previous scheme we feel it is a project that the Church would need to propose and not the YTH. The Church are represented on the Committee.
How would the village pay for the improved facilities?
Rural communities are seen as priorities for public investment and communal halls are recognised as underpinning the social fabric of our villages. There are many different organisations that provide funding. The National Lottery, Council and Charitable grants are examples. Villages such as ours usually get specific grants to carry out feasibility studies so that the day to day budgets are untouched.
Are you building on the Parish Field?
In order to provide a new build option we have approached a number of landowners in Lorton to enter into discussions. These include the Tennis Club and the Parish Council.
A possible idea would be to look at replanning the whole site and use the space better, creating a community hub that links the school, hall and sports clubs. However, we have yet to have agreement to consider it from the Parish Council.
We are still looking for other sites and would welcome a discussion with any landowner who might be able to help.
Who should I contact regarding any thoughts or ideas I have about the Yew Tree Hall.
You can contact any member of the Committee. They will pass on your comments at our next Committee Meeting.