Southwell Town Council supports proposal to convert Easthorpe Community Hall to home
Plans to transform a community hall into a new house have been backed by a town council.
The application, by Easthorpe Common Lands Foundation, seeks to convert Easthorpe Community Hall into a new home.
The change of using planning application, which will be determined by Newark and Sherwood District Council, would include an extension and external alterations.
Southwell Town Council’s planning committee chairman David Martin said: “The justification is there is very little footfall, very little hiring and, even before the pandemic, they were down to one hiring a week.
“There seems to be little enthusiasm in the local community to keep it as a hall.
“One of the problems is they are responsible for running the charity, which is there to support the people of Easthorpe and the people of Southwell — if they could convert that into capital they could easily get the money.”
Committee member Karen Roberts said the situation was not about the money.
She said: “It is tricky because other community groups or businesses have tried to hire places in Southwell and they can’t find anywhere.
“I know two institutions that have tried to book space and could not get anywhere in Southwell.”
Michael Struggles, planning secretary at Southwell Civic Society, said he did not want to see the loss of what has been, and potentially could be, a well used community asset.
“It is the only public meeting place at the Easthorpe end of town and it is of a size much better suited than most venues for small informal groups such as committee meetings and amateur dramatic rehearsals,” Mr Struggles said.
“Use has declined because of it’s current poor state and lack of advertising.
“It obviously needs modernisation and improvement but grant money for such work is now more readily available for charities than it was some 30 or so years ago when the late Nancy Harrison, a lifetime champion of the hall, obtained public funding.
“Presumably the expenditure in 2019 of £24,000 on repair and renewals at the hall and adjoining cottage must have included some exceptional items and is very unlikely to be annually recurring to anything like the same extent.
“The trust itself could and should be able to make a contribution from the sale proceeds of the cottage and by reviewing the income stream from it’s other land holdings.
“Parking has never been easy but users should be encouraged to walk or cycle to the venue.
“Once lost this public asset will never be replaced.”
The vote was a majority in favour of supporting the hall’s conversion.