A New Village Hall for Eynsford

A New Hall for Eynsford

Following our selection last year of GA Harper Ltd as our preferred contractor, Trustees are just completing the Pre Construction Services Agreement and have been very busy working with the various design and build team members to agree the fine detail. For example logistics, procurement, timeline and design optimisation have all come under the microscope in order to ensure a smooth path to the construction phase. There was considerable interest in the sale of the existing hall site and Trustees are pleased to have accepted a good offer a little above our target figure. We are continuing to work through all the legal requirements, with sale completion now expected sometime in late spring/early summer. In addition, Trustees are working with the Charity Commission to finalise a change to our constitution which is necessary for the sale proceeds to be used for the new hall construction. Due notice of this change was given in accordance with the Commission’s required process. With the site sale we now have about 80% of our funding in place which has enabled us to make the long-awaited start on this ambitious and important community project. But to see this through to a successful conclusion we are going to need the support of the whole village for the final push! Our Farewell Event was a total sell-out with nearly 150 people squeezed into the hall. So many of you pitched into make it such a great success and, as well as everyone having a thoroughly good time, about £1,000 was raised for the cause. Watch out for other activities popping up during the year, including our Groundbreaking Event, as our contractors put the very first spade in the ground!

Background

The current hall, built in 1905, is maintained fully functional by the Trustees. Bookings for its many activities including sales, receptions and meetings continue. However, the hall has a limited life and it has been agreed that rebuilding on the existing site was simply not cost-effective. Planning consent for a new hall on Harrow Meadow was obtained in July 2020 and consent for housing development on the existing hall site in November 2021. The two applications are linked and also included rotating and levelling the football pitch on Harrow Meadow. We are pleased to report that this first phase of the project is now completed and the first games were played on the new grass last summer. Around the site 400 hedge saplings have been planted by the Green Team, along with 10 trees and 5000 bulbs on the “chalk hill” This is a joint project with Eynsford Parish Council. The Council owns Harrow Meadow and the Trustees will lease the land on which the hall will be built. The Trustees and the Parish Council very much hope that residents and user groups will support all fundraising efforts to enable our vision of a new hall fit for the 21st century to come to fruition.