The Village Hall is a corrugated iron building on a timber frame with a concrete asbestos roof. It was given to the village in 1923 and provided happy memories over many years as a focal point for community activities within Holwell.
2021 - Open morning at the hall on 25 September to review the options for the new hall.
June 2019
As promised at the AGM in May, we have posted a copy of the final results of the survey here as well as the comments received from those who responded. A hard copy will be available in the hall.
final_voting_results_0619.xlsx
May 2019
Many thanks to all those who responded to the newsletter and completed feedback forms. We now have over 80 responses!
The result of the survey was announced at the village hall AGM on 16 May - a significant majority chose the new build option and an update on the next steps will be posted shortly.
March 2019
We need wider community support for the hall in order to seek major funding, without which we will be unable to consider building a new hall or fixing the significant structural issues raised in the Feasibility Study. Long term, this may mean the very future of the hall will be in doubt.
This is because despite delivering flyers to every household publicising presentation of the feasibility study in November 2018, only 43 residents responded, out of an adult population of around 300.
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP
Please find time to do one of the following so we can present the results to you at the hall’s Annual General Meeting:
1118_feasibility_report_appendices.pdf
January 2019
A big thank you to all those who came to the hall early in November to view the feasibility study into the various options for the hall’s future that we had commissioned from Oriel Architecture. We very much appreciate the level of interest shown by all who responded and cast their votes whether on the day or later.
The options presented included three new build options – one purpose designed and built, and two ‘off-the-shelf’ buildings, as well as three options to refurbish and repair. Detailed costings were provided for each option, with several options for refurbishment and new build having similar costs.
The majority of votes received were for the purpose designed new build option, although support was also shown for each of the three refurbishment and repair options.
However, only a relatively small number of Holwell’s residents voted which will make it difficult to demonstrate the strength of local support for the future of the hall that all grant providers require in order to approve funding - and we will need grant aid / funding for any option to be pursued.
We need as many of you as possible to give us your views and are looking at how we can achieve this so that we can move ahead with plans for the village hall in the near future. Please look out for our newsletter in March for an update on this and other items.
November 2018
Following the presentations of the Feasibility Study on 2 and 3 November at the village hall, the study will be available online on Tuesday 6 November to give those residents who were unable to attend the opportunity to let us know their choice and comments (see Meetings & miinutes page). Please email your completed form to [email protected] or deliver to Jane Goodfellow at Wendover, Barnes Cross, DT9 5LA by 17 November 2018.
October 2018
Oriel Architecture's Feasibility Study into the various options for the hall's future has been completed, and will be presented at Holwell Village Hall on Friday 2 November (6.00pm to 8.00pm) and on Saturday 3 November (10.00am to noon). Everyone is welcome, and we hope that as many village residents will come as possible and let us know which of the options they would like to support.
December 2017
Holwell Village Hall Management Committee are delighted to announce they have been awarded Big Lottery funding to commission an independent study of the options available for improving the Village Hall for Holwell residents.The independent study will outline the cost and timescale of the different options available so that residents can review them and the funding challenge each presents before deciding which option they wish the Committee to pursue on their behalf to ensure the future of this community facility. It is expected that the feasibility study will be presented to village residents early in 2018.
May 2017
At the AGM in May 2017, the Trustees reported that they had engaged in the ongoing Neighbourhood Plan process, by registering the village hall site as a potential location for residential development to ensure it was properly considered in the Plan process. They also agreed a questionnaire which aimed to elicit more information on residents’ views on the use of the hall and its future, which was circulated with the Neighbourhood Plan questionnaire in September. The results of the questionnaire were made available at two open meetings in December, and are on the Neighbourhood Plan website. The results show a large majority of residents favour retaining a village hall on or close to its current location. However, those residents’ views regarding whether to refurbish (and possibly extend) or to replace with a new building are very divided, with 53% in favour of new build versus 47% for refurbishment.
Bearing in mind this division of opinion, the Trustees decided it would be helpful to have a better idea of the physical condition of the hall and an inspection was carried out by Trustee Philip Piggot and a group of volunteers. An informal but quite detailed report was prepared by Philip, which demonstrated that the structure of the main building – excluding the kitchen – was unexpectedly sound but that there were various areas requiring attention, some urgently.
Given the results of the village hall survey and the findings detailed in this report, the Trustees agreed that an independent feasibility study was needed to properly investigate the various options for the hall, the costs involved and likely time scale. We are in the process of obtaining quotations from professional consultants who have the relevant experience, and are investigating various funding sources to cover the cost of the study.
The Trustees hope to have the feasibility study completed by the end of the summer at which time the various options will be presented to the village so that residents can make an informed decision as to which option they wish the Trustees to pursue.
June 2019
As promised at the AGM in May, we have posted a copy of the final results of the survey here as well as the comments received from those who responded. A hard copy will be available in the hall.
final_voting_results_0619.xlsx
May 2019
Many thanks to all those who responded to the newsletter and completed feedback forms. We now have over 80 responses!
The result of the survey was announced at the village hall AGM on 16 May - a significant majority chose the new build option and an update on the next steps will be posted shortly.
March 2019
We need wider community support for the hall in order to seek major funding, without which we will be unable to consider building a new hall or fixing the significant structural issues raised in the Feasibility Study. Long term, this may mean the very future of the hall will be in doubt.
This is because despite delivering flyers to every household publicising presentation of the feasibility study in November 2018, only 43 residents responded, out of an adult population of around 300.
WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP
Please find time to do one of the following so we can present the results to you at the hall’s Annual General Meeting:
- Complete the attached form before 12 May and
- email it back to [email protected]
- Call Jane Goodfellow on 01963 23266 to arrange for someone to come and collect it
- Put it in the postbox by the hall entrance
- Complete the online feedback form on the home page of the website or on our Facebook page before 12 May
1118_feasibility_report_appendices.pdf
January 2019
A big thank you to all those who came to the hall early in November to view the feasibility study into the various options for the hall’s future that we had commissioned from Oriel Architecture. We very much appreciate the level of interest shown by all who responded and cast their votes whether on the day or later.
The options presented included three new build options – one purpose designed and built, and two ‘off-the-shelf’ buildings, as well as three options to refurbish and repair. Detailed costings were provided for each option, with several options for refurbishment and new build having similar costs.
The majority of votes received were for the purpose designed new build option, although support was also shown for each of the three refurbishment and repair options.
However, only a relatively small number of Holwell’s residents voted which will make it difficult to demonstrate the strength of local support for the future of the hall that all grant providers require in order to approve funding - and we will need grant aid / funding for any option to be pursued.
We need as many of you as possible to give us your views and are looking at how we can achieve this so that we can move ahead with plans for the village hall in the near future. Please look out for our newsletter in March for an update on this and other items.
November 2018
Following the presentations of the Feasibility Study on 2 and 3 November at the village hall, the study will be available online on Tuesday 6 November to give those residents who were unable to attend the opportunity to let us know their choice and comments (see Meetings & miinutes page). Please email your completed form to [email protected] or deliver to Jane Goodfellow at Wendover, Barnes Cross, DT9 5LA by 17 November 2018.
October 2018
Oriel Architecture's Feasibility Study into the various options for the hall's future has been completed, and will be presented at Holwell Village Hall on Friday 2 November (6.00pm to 8.00pm) and on Saturday 3 November (10.00am to noon). Everyone is welcome, and we hope that as many village residents will come as possible and let us know which of the options they would like to support.
December 2017
Holwell Village Hall Management Committee are delighted to announce they have been awarded Big Lottery funding to commission an independent study of the options available for improving the Village Hall for Holwell residents.The independent study will outline the cost and timescale of the different options available so that residents can review them and the funding challenge each presents before deciding which option they wish the Committee to pursue on their behalf to ensure the future of this community facility. It is expected that the feasibility study will be presented to village residents early in 2018.
May 2017
At the AGM in May 2017, the Trustees reported that they had engaged in the ongoing Neighbourhood Plan process, by registering the village hall site as a potential location for residential development to ensure it was properly considered in the Plan process. They also agreed a questionnaire which aimed to elicit more information on residents’ views on the use of the hall and its future, which was circulated with the Neighbourhood Plan questionnaire in September. The results of the questionnaire were made available at two open meetings in December, and are on the Neighbourhood Plan website. The results show a large majority of residents favour retaining a village hall on or close to its current location. However, those residents’ views regarding whether to refurbish (and possibly extend) or to replace with a new building are very divided, with 53% in favour of new build versus 47% for refurbishment.
Bearing in mind this division of opinion, the Trustees decided it would be helpful to have a better idea of the physical condition of the hall and an inspection was carried out by Trustee Philip Piggot and a group of volunteers. An informal but quite detailed report was prepared by Philip, which demonstrated that the structure of the main building – excluding the kitchen – was unexpectedly sound but that there were various areas requiring attention, some urgently.
Given the results of the village hall survey and the findings detailed in this report, the Trustees agreed that an independent feasibility study was needed to properly investigate the various options for the hall, the costs involved and likely time scale. We are in the process of obtaining quotations from professional consultants who have the relevant experience, and are investigating various funding sources to cover the cost of the study.
The Trustees hope to have the feasibility study completed by the end of the summer at which time the various options will be presented to the village so that residents can make an informed decision as to which option they wish the Trustees to pursue.
| village_survey_and_analysis_oct_14.pdf |
| les_collett_-_the_way_forward.pdf |