Ruddington Parish Council have been progressing with the plans for the new Community Centre on The Green to make sure it will become a vibrant hub at the heart of our village.
A working group was set up in 2020 to drive the pace of the project and research the needs of residents for inclusion into the structure of the building.
A public consultation then took place with an open survey over November and December 2020 for residents of Ruddington to voice their opinions on core aspects of the new Community Centre.
With 475 respondents, several key themes emerged:
- A requirement for a large, multipurpose building including a large hall, meeting spaces and kitchen facilities
- The building to be available to hire during weekdays but primarily at weekends and weekday evenings
- Having a flexible space for groups ranging from children to senior citizens, with many respondents highlighting the specific need for accommodating youth services or activities for young people
- Maximising the available car parking spaces and bike storage facilities.
With the need to meet these key themes and, considering the current condition of the existing Community & Youth Centre (pictured above), the decision has been made to demolish the existing building and build a new, modern Community Centre that fits the needs of our growing village.
The working group has been joined by local architect, Chris Marriott, who has generously provided his time on a voluntary basis to the project. Preliminary plans for the new building include both a large and smaller hall, two floors of flexible space for meetings, offices and kitchen/hygiene facilities on the inside. On the outside will be car parking, bike storage and garden.
The working group is confident that the plans will provide a much improved, flexible space which all sectors of our community will be able to access and benefit from.
The plans and designs will be put forward for consultation, inviting comments and feedback from interested parties. Further details of the consultation will be made available by the Parish Council once the dates are finalised.
In addition to the consultation, the working group is now focusing on obtaining costs for the demolition of the existing building and projected build of the new Community Centre. Once these are in place, the focus will turn to raising funds for the project and finalising site plans.
To help us with this next-stage work, we urgently need the support of both an experienced, qualified accountant and an experienced building services manager.
If any local residents have experience in either of these areas or knowledge of fundraising and grant applications for large projects, and can spare a little time to advise our working group on a voluntary basis, we’d love to hear from you.
If you can help, please email office@ruddingtonparishcouncil.gov.uk.
The Community Centre Working Group
Picture credit: Graham Wright via RUDDINGTON.info