A new community centre for west Cheshunt
In June 2007, Broxbourne Council approved an application from
the Steering Group for St. Mary's Community Centre (planning
reference 7/0443/07/O/WOL) to construct a new community centre on
land which currently forms part of the playing fields of St. Mary's
school in Cheshunt.
The application follows the County Council's proposals to
relocate St Mary's School to Bury Green farm and develop the
existing school site for residential use. It will help
address the shortage of community halls and meeting rooms in west
Cheshunt and Bury Green which was identified in the recently
refreshed Community Plan for Broxbourne.
Project plans
The existing community building, 'Church House' is in a
state of disrepair, and it is uneconomical for it to be repaired
and refurbished. The new building will provide improved
facilities for multiple community use by organisations which
include playgroups, St. Mary's Old Girls and a Karate class.
The new community centre will include a multipurpose function hall;
a meeting room; two kitchens and tea serving facilities, meeting
rooms, and an office. The centre will also be fully
accessible to the disabled with improved site access and
landscaping, and 51 car parking spaces will also be provided.
There will also be additional sound-proofing as part of the scheme
as a result of a condition put in place by the Committee.
Cheshunt has been the main focus of urban development in the
Borough of Broxbourne in recent years and the St Mary's project
represents a vital opportunity to provide facilities which can meet
the needs of the community in this part of the Borough. The
site adjacent to the vicarage is in a central location for the
communities of Cheshunt and Bury Green, and is of particular value
due to its proximity to the Whitefield estate. Although there are
other existing buildings in the area which could be considered for
redevelopment, such sites have limited space, and are already fully
utilised by community groups.
Once the school move has taken place, progress can be made on
constructing a new community centre. This is likely to be in
summer 2008. The church has planning permission for housing on land
currently occupied by Church House, but do not intend to implement
this planning permission until the new centre is ready for
occupation. This would allow Church House to continue to
function as a facility for community and church groups in the
meantime.
As part of the section 106 agreement which was signed when
planning permission for the housing on the school site was granted,
the Council obtained money from the developers as a contribution
towards the development of the community centre, as well as land on
which it could be built. This will provide over £300 000 of
the funding required, which is likely to be in excess of £1.2
million. The Church is seeking funding from other sources
including the Big Lottery and Investing in Communities.