Plans for new community centre in Chinley take a step forward

The plans are seeking permission to demolish the existing community centre on Lower Lane and replace it with a new facility in the same location.

If approved the new centre will comprise of a main hall, social space, multi-purpose room, kitchen, library, toilets, storage, changing facilities and a shower. The proposals also include an external terrace and associated external landscaping, car park extension and resurfacing.

In March, the parish council and community association for Chinley, Buxworth and Brownside were awarded £28,000 from the National Lottery Community Fund to move forward the project to build a new community centre in Chinley.

This money has enabled the parish council to commission the services of architects d3 Associates Ltd to develop the designs for the new building.

In the summer, the parish council sent out a newsletter to residents showing the proposed plans for the new building as well as details of the consultation. An open day was also held, attended by 120 people, where the plans were displayed and the architects were on hand to answer questions. Visitors had the opportunity to make comments on sticky notes which were stuck to the drawing plans. A consultation questionnaire ran in parallel to this event and almost 250 responses were received.

A spokesperson for the parish council said: “There was an overwhelmingly positive response to the plans and the Parish Council and Community Association would like to thank everyone involved for the very useful feedback. The comments have been reviewed and a number of changes have been incorporated into the final design and layout submitted as part of the planning application.”

The plans will be considered by High Peak Borough Council, with local residents able to leave their comments on the application.

In the meantime, more detailed designs are being prepared ready to go out to tender for the construction phase of the project and early next year the parish council and community association will be applying to the National Lottery and other funding bodies for the funding necessary to bring this project to reality.

Anyone able to help with the project, particularly fundraising, is asked to contact the Community Association Facebook page, email Georgina Cooper, the parish clerk, on [email protected] or by call Phil Manford, Community Association Trustee, on 01663 750100.