Please note that updates will be posted after Parish Council meetings where discussion has taken place or progress reports submitted, and not before.
Pavilion Update
Report from Meeting on 3rd March 2021 Agenda item: 21/412
Debden Parish Council received an outline consent for a new pavilion next to the new village hall, back in August 2020. https://www.uttlesford.gov.uk/planning UTT/20/0795/OP
Debden Parish Council invited a professional team to provide an initial indication of what the pavilion would cost. The figure that was reported back was £355,000 and was regarded by the Parish Council as a cost which we considered to not represent value for money and as a consequence this has been challenged both in terms of design, function and what the building looked like. In particular whether there was a need for the pavilion to look similar to the proposed new village hall.
This process has been undertaken over the past 3-4 months in collaboration and with the agreement of Sport England and the Football Association and has now been completed and we are able to report the following;
- the new pavilion will look more like a traditional pavilion which is in keeping with the setting it is in.
- Further improvements have been made which will now include an additional dedicated disabled toilet facility accessible directly accessible from the outside of the building – which will (subject to controls and security) be able to be used for events on the recreation ground even when the main pavilion is not open. Another toilet, which previously allowed for within the design, was to serve the public when the pavilion was in use, will also be accessible directly from outside of the building for the same reasons.
- The layout and number of showers have been reduced. The pavilion will continue to have 5 showers (2 per changing room, plus a further one for the officials) in total but the space saved has allowed the additional disabled toilet facility referred to, to be provided. Sport England and the Football Association are very happy to support this reconfigured layout.
We are pleased to report that the estimated cost has now been set at something more achievable, with a target of £155,000 to complete the project.
The building will be of timber framed construction built upon a new, traditional foundation. A quote from a specialist pavilion provider of such buildings has been obtained who would be able to manufacture and construct the shell in its’ entirety. The next stage of the diligence process will be for the parish council to visit some of their previous projects and gain references. This we expect will proceed in the next few months subject to the constraints arising from the lockdown process. We will also get a competitive quote from a similar company who specialise in timber frame pavilion construction, as a comparison. We have chosen specialist companies whose designs meet local authority criteria whilst complying with building control regulations.
We will report back further once this has been undertaken.
In terms of the internal fit-out, allowances have been made for trades to complete these works through specialist contractors (Plumbing, Electrical Works, Plastering and Painting etc.) This approach, however, may also give us an opportunity to create a community project, where local residents will have the opportunity to get involved, creating a sense of ownership in the project. We feel that such an opportunity for a common goal and objective is highly desirable for the village of Debden and potentially has the added benefit to reduce the overall cost a little further, with the Debden Community being prepared to pick up a paintbrush to decorate the pavilion inside and out by way of example.
We are pleased to report that this process of review is achieving significant reductions in the cost, achieving greater functional benefits and through these challenging times that we are now coming out of, it will give the village a project that we can all work together on for the good of our community. In addition the use of off-site construction techniques for the building shell is likely to reduce the construction programme based upon much of the manufacturing and process being undertaking off site, thereby also reducing the disruption to the recreational ground, whilst the works are being completed.
The PC is responsible for the covering the cost of building the new sports pavilion. This cost will be met in part by funds already reserved by the PC for this purpose, with the remainder being met by grants and donations.