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Boxford Village Hall to be demolished?




Plans have been submitted to demolish the existing hall, while plans to build a new hall are awaiting consideration

WITH plans to relocate Boxford Village Hall currently awaiting consideration, plans to demolish the existing hall have now been submitted.

Last year, a ballot was held within the village to decide whether or not to go with the Boxford Village Hall committee's council of management's recommendation to sell off the existing village hall land in the heart of the village for housing to build a new facility at the recreation ground on the edge of the village.

In the ballot, 58 per cent of the 150 people who cast votes (87) voted yes to the council of management's recommendation, while 42 per cent (63 people) voted against it, owing much to concerns over access to the proposed hall for children and elderly people and concerns over the hall being located at the edge of the village.

However, plans were recently submitted to demolish the existing sports pavilion at the recreation ground to erect a new single-storey, T-shaped village hall and sports pavilion in its place.

The proposed building, which would have a gross internal floor area of 244 square metres, would also have one self-contained area for use by the Teddy Bears Pre-School and another for the village hall and sports pavilion to enable both pre-school and community activities to operate in conjunction.

And now, plans have been submitted to demolish the existing village hall to construct two new four-bedroom houses with detached garages in its place.

The application, submitted by Boxford Parish Council, states that the existing hall is in a “very dilapidated” condition and requires considerable maintenance, while the the project leader and vice-chairman of the village hall committee, Mike Appleton, said last year that the new hall would benefit the whole community and be more financially viable than the existing hall.

The application adds that with a lack of funding for the project, the construction of a new hall is dependent on the success of development on the existing hall site.

West Berkshire Council is due to make a decision on both plans next month.



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