Chacewater Parish Council was handed the old Women’s Institute building a couple of years a go when the W I folded, as they could no longer make the building viable due to the increased costs and their dwindling membership.
The land sits on the Old Recreation Ground which has since been used as a car park. The old hut is a Nissen hut from the war and needs either refurbishment or replacement. This building has suffered through the last few winters, especially the high winds which has twisted the structure. The current energy prices are causing very high electricity bills and environmentally it is a concern that all heat used in the building disappears at an alarming rate.
Southwest Community Builds were contracted to facilitate and project manage the feasibility study which is funded by the Cornwall Council Community Capacity Fund. The feasibility includes investigation of building size and scale, supply of mining report and flood risk assessment as well as produce architectural plans and building regulations drawings ready for planning (if required).
Public consultation is the first and one of the most important steps in the process. The first public consultation was held on 2nd March 2024 at Chacewater Village Hall – online survey completed by 100 people from the community. Second public consultation, held on 16th May 2024 at the W I Hall, outlining three different options including refurbishment, building a new structure in the corner of the car park, reflecting the style of the building, and the third option increasing the size of the building a relocating it into a more central position within the car park.
The opinions of local people and the users groups have been taken on board and a new final working design will be shown at the next public consultation on Wednesday 17th July 3pm – 6pm at the W I Hall.
Once this final design has been developed after the final public consultation, it will be submitted to Cornwall Council as a planning application.