We want to hear from YOU |
1. First of all a little history...
... our current village hall has served Helpston & Etton for over 100 years and you may (or may not!) be surprised to know that it was originally a first world war military hut, kindly donated to the village by the Fitzwilliam family.
It has occupied its current site in West St since the end of the war, and sits on land also owned by the Fitzwilliam Estate which was rented back to the village on a ‘peppercorn’ rent. The lease on that land actually expired some time ago, and understandably the Estate would like the land back, added to which you will probably agree, the Hall is now old, tired, damp, too small, and in so many ways unsuitable for the growing and vibrant communities of Helpston & Etton.
Now is the time to renew and rebuild a Village Hall which can be fit for today and be sustainable for the future. The Village Hall Committee has been working behind the scenes for some years, initially tasked by the Parish Council to find land that would be suitable to create a new home for the Village Hall to be built upon. This part we admit has NOT been easy!
Suitable land is difficult to locate, and we understand the sensitivity that exists around further housing development in the village. Whilst it may have been tempting to accept land offers from potential developers for a new Hall, the Village Hall Committee have resisted those offers on the basis that we believed unlocking housing development would not be a price the village would be prepared to pay for a new Hall.
In the meantime, and whilst we work to resolve these questions, we need to understand your thoughts, views and ideas for a new facility for the village. Now is the time to let us know what you would like. It needs to be a vision for the whole community of both villages, as ultimately it belongs to us all, and is for the benefit of everyone.
The Team has been researching other Village Halls and ‘Centres’ that exist across our Region, and have been amazed by the range of new & modern buildings that have been created in recent years, and which have inspired us, and we hope will help to inspire you too….it can be hard to imagine what else is possible, when all we have known is what we currently have!
We have incorporated some of those ideas into the questionnaire which we are asking you to complete, and also some photographs and descriptions on our website page.
There will be many more opportunities to become involved and/or provide feedback in the coming months, this is just the start...
It has occupied its current site in West St since the end of the war, and sits on land also owned by the Fitzwilliam Estate which was rented back to the village on a ‘peppercorn’ rent. The lease on that land actually expired some time ago, and understandably the Estate would like the land back, added to which you will probably agree, the Hall is now old, tired, damp, too small, and in so many ways unsuitable for the growing and vibrant communities of Helpston & Etton.
Now is the time to renew and rebuild a Village Hall which can be fit for today and be sustainable for the future. The Village Hall Committee has been working behind the scenes for some years, initially tasked by the Parish Council to find land that would be suitable to create a new home for the Village Hall to be built upon. This part we admit has NOT been easy!
Suitable land is difficult to locate, and we understand the sensitivity that exists around further housing development in the village. Whilst it may have been tempting to accept land offers from potential developers for a new Hall, the Village Hall Committee have resisted those offers on the basis that we believed unlocking housing development would not be a price the village would be prepared to pay for a new Hall.
In the meantime, and whilst we work to resolve these questions, we need to understand your thoughts, views and ideas for a new facility for the village. Now is the time to let us know what you would like. It needs to be a vision for the whole community of both villages, as ultimately it belongs to us all, and is for the benefit of everyone.
The Team has been researching other Village Halls and ‘Centres’ that exist across our Region, and have been amazed by the range of new & modern buildings that have been created in recent years, and which have inspired us, and we hope will help to inspire you too….it can be hard to imagine what else is possible, when all we have known is what we currently have!
We have incorporated some of those ideas into the questionnaire which we are asking you to complete, and also some photographs and descriptions on our website page.
There will be many more opportunities to become involved and/or provide feedback in the coming months, this is just the start...
Please deliver your completed surveys to the village hall no later than Saturday 11th May 2024 OR complete online by going to: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YC7R5QD